VOME Workshop: What does Privacy Look Feel and Sound Like ?

VOME is a research project which focuses on how people articulate their desires for privacy, their concerns about privacy and their expectations for privacy when engaging in on-line services and experiences. Much of our work has been grounded and qualitative, exploring different perspectives on privacy. In doing so, we have uncovered some perspectives and concepts that are challenging to visualize. The output from the workshop is captured on film and it has helped us to visualize some of these more abstract and emotional aspects to privacy by drawing out some additional dimensions to these concepts, reframing privacy issues and also showing researchers how to “feel” a problem as well as systematically analyse it.

The workshop followed the following process:

  • Each artist prepared a provocation on an aspect to privacy that appealed to them
  • Workshop participants wrote down some of their reflections and created a thought wall
  • Privacy themes were selected from the thought wall and small groups developed different interventions to explore the themes
  • Reflection and feedback

Interventions took many forms including games, improvisations, collaborative painting, sound and space puzzles…. Researchers and artists worked together on the interventions and through these interventions participants could feel and then reflect on each theme.

Here is a short presentation that Lizzie gave to explain why artistic collaboration is important to VOME.

Images from the day

We had nine artists assisting us with this workshop.
They are:

Frances Sturt: www.bimbilibausa.com
As an artist she is an actress, a mime and a clown.

Athina  Antoniadou: www.athinanto.de
Athina has a special interest in the spiritual and the invisible side of our lives…

Viv Corringham: www.vivcorringham.org
Viv’s particular interests are vocal improvisation and the sense of place, which she often combines together in her work.

In her presentation, Viv encourages researchers to think about how privacy is intimately related to notions of identity and how the sense of privacy changes on a moment by moment basis. Viv’s work also encourages researchers to think about how physical space interacts with someone’s emotional space and how adjusting physical space influences the senses of privacy.

Viv’s presentation prepared for the workshop
Thought piece on Viv’s film

Rika Deryckere – artist http://www.rikaderyckere.com
Rika on film
“Rika Deryckere is a figure painter. Some of her work focuses on the erotic and she often presents a “naked and brutal reality”. In her short film, she reflects on her work and shows some of her erotic art that emphasises privacy in its intimate form. In her talk, Rika also draws out different states of privacy ranging from anonymity, to isolation and intimacy and reflects on how it is possible to be in several of those states simultaneously.”

Rika’s presentation produced for the workshop

Thought piece on Rika’s presentation.


Reetta – mime actor
Reetta has always loved acting but considers herself very private. She worries about exposing too much of herself but relishes embarrassment. When she is on stage she feels visible and invisible at the same time.

Reetta on film:
Here is Reetta’s provocation based on the theme of identity. The audience interact with Reetta to uncover aspects of her identity that she typically keeps hidden. This provocation helps VOME researchers to think about the different aspects of identity and identity management and some of the sense in which identity is negotiated.

Reetta’s provocation developed for the workshop.

Thought piece on Reetta’s film

Karina Townsend:
As a mainly self-taught musician, she has  performed in various bands over the years. Karina is struck by the fact that elements of costume and ‘disguise’ have played significant roles in her onstage personae.

Jonathan Young: http://www.shams.org.uk/
Is a theatre-maker, performer and sometimes teacher of theatre and clown.  He enjoys the  richness and reflection that theatre and its stories can bring to bear on our world.

Jonathan on Film:
Jonathan’s presentation at the “What does privacy look feel and sound like workshop” focuses on presenting 10 thoughts and anecdotes on technology, privacy and visibility / invisibility and relates these to his own experience. His presentation is thought provoking. From these 10 thought / anecdotes, you can also learn more about Jonathan and how he operates.
Here is Jonathan’s provocation for the workshop

Thought piece on Jonathan’s film

Justin Durel – mime artist and pupeteer.

Justin on film:
‘I don’t believe that privacy exists on the net, I don’t actually believe that privacy exists anywhere anyway’, Justin says.  He thinks this thing about wanting privacy is a modern day phenomena, historically we were content to live much closer, more people living in the same space, close knit communities – there wasn’t much privacy then, he says.

Here is Justin’s presentation for the workshop
Thought piece on Justin’s presentation

Lucinka Eisler – performer http://www.inspectorsands.com/company.html