Activate the Park II

For the second year in a row, our first-year interaction design students at the Ontario College of Art and Design have been charged with the task of “Activating the Park.” Nestled underneath architect Will Alsop’s now-famous “tabletop” is Butterfield Park — it’s the canvas that 15 different classes have to create their interactive environments. The idea is to engage passerby in public space, and get them to linger in the park.

Last year’s show was written up in Canadian Architect. It’s quite a festive scene, and open to the public, so wander by at some point and see what the kids think of public space these days, and how they think they can engage you once there.

Where: Butterfield Park, south end of OCAD building, 100 McCaul Street
When: Wednesday, April 4, 3-6pm

Projects include:

• The Tent — exploring the interactive possibilities of layering environments within environments — “Come take shelter”
• Das Ballon — Step inside … an interactive inflatable
• Mega Maze — Two People. One Maze. Mega Confusion.
• Pssst…Shhhh — Pssst, what’s your secret? Shhh, don’t tell…or do. Come into a dark corner, trust your secrets to paper, and see what happens.
• See It, Say It, Spray It — It’s literature warfare. Pick from floating words, bicker over the ones cruelly take from you. When you’re done with your message, spray it on a t-shirt for the world to see!
• Human Foosball — Come and (try to) kick it around — for charity
• DACO at OCAD — Giant Everything!
Down Giant TipOvers
Articulate Giant Jenga Towers
Compete building Giant Forts
Oppose in Giant Tic-Tac-Toe
• Paradise Lost — An interactive performance with tropical butterflies, ecological threats, tireless environmentalists and Al Gore.
• The Secret Exchange — Wouldn’t you like to know somebody’s deepest secret? Here’s your chance – but you must offer one in return.
• Ontario Cave of Art and Design — primitive cave painting under the modern floating box
• Dirty Little Secret — Air your secrets in public like dirty laundry
And more…

(Interaction design is a sub-discipline of design which examines the role of embedded behaviors and intelligence in physical and virtual spaces as well as the convergence of physical and digital products. Interactive Design is concerned with a user, customer, audience, or participant’s experience with a designed object.)