Understanding Interaction in Ubiquitous Guerrilla Performances in Playful Arenas

The Role of Embarrassment to Shape Public Interactions

“…Based on this definition, they identify two types of performative interactions: those where technology is part of the artistic expression and rely on a performer actually performing on some kind of stage (we call them performer-driven interactions), and those with no official performer where it is the technology that triggers an audience to participate (we call them technology-driven interactions). Recent examples of performer-driven performative interactions are Joe Malia's "Scarf" [13], Philips "Skin Probe Bubble" [14], various performances by Stelarc [18], and "Schizophrenic Cyborg" by Sheridan and colleagues [16][17]. Examples of technology-driven performative interactions are "Presence" by Laura Dekker [7], "SMS Slingshot" by VR/URBAN [20] or "Text Rain" by Camille Utterback and Romy Achituv [19].…”

“…In "Schizophrenic Cyborg" [16][17], a performer is facing an audience with a screen hanging on his belly. The interface on his body displays an interaction that is in fact activated by another performer who is not visible to the public.…”

“…Several models of performative interactions have already been developed [2], [15], [17]. They are based on the idea that for an interaction to occur, different audience roles are needed (performer / participant / observer) and that the interaction is confined within a given space (physical and / or psychological) for the audience to recognise and within which specific behavioral codes (or interactions rules) apply.…”

“…The confusion and intended misconception generated by this set-up is what may cause embarrassment in the audience and in the cyborg but not one to be easily overcome by transforming space into place. Sheridan et al [17] indeed report that the audience could recognize how the interaction was taking place (so that the cyborg was not in control of it) only if they had a high technical expertise: so nothing to do with the experience of stepping into the magic circle discussed above.…”

“…In the next sections, we will first define what performative interactions are and present two different cases of performative interactions, "Schizophrenic Cyborg" [16][17] and "Presence" [7]. Further, we will describe the performance-based model we developed.…”