Feeling present with others – as if we are in the same room even if we are apart – is a key experience in mediated communication situations. But how do we produce mediated communications so that we increase the likelihood of forgetting the mediating technology, letting participants engage as if they are all there?This thesis summarises the analyses of practice-led work on organising more than 35 presence productions over a period of more than 20 years.The presence productions go from small groups pursuing utilitarian work to large public concerts. This iterative longitudinal research process has been altered and informed by new technological developments and changes to setups, tools and dramaturgies. However, no matter whether we have advanced or less advanced technology, a range of pragmatic considerations of how to facilitate and orchestrate presence situations arises over and over in these productions. First, and perhaps most importantly, there is a need for a presence producer who arranges and takes responsibility for the overall experience. The presence production case studies clearly show how the layout of spaces (real and mediated); the choice of technology and how it is arranged to narrate the communication;alongside the overall social context all have bearing on the presence experience and are key components in a presence production system. Moreover, a meticulous analysis of these presence productions reveal ways by which components should be considered in the planning and execution phases so as to overcome the cracks and breaks that may disrupt participants’ experience of presence, and thereby their communication.The analysis shows the need for three distinct presence producer roles:

Presence designer: Designer of the presence production systembefore it is put into action. Not a participant in the communication.

Presence facilitator: Facilitator/orchestrator in the presence production system as the presence production unfolds. Not a participant in the communication.

Participant presence producer: Users of the presence production system, actively taking part in the communication butalso serving as facilitators/orchestrators, controlling or adjusting aspects of the mediated situation to support the presence experience.

Furthermore, the following design elements and how they can be shapedare discussed: ways of using video as a storytelling tool; dividing the spaceinto rooms as a path to organising the production; and use of dramaturgyand stage directions to guide the production. 

In this paper, an installation is presented that connects Stanford and Stockholm through a one-of-a-kind combination of instrument and venue: the Skandia Wurlitzer theatre organ (Wurlitzer serial no. 1254) situated in the KTH R1 Experimental Performance Space, a disused nuclear reactor. A continuous stream of musical data, audio, and video between the two places explored the capabilities of the digital to play with the concepts of presence and embodiment, virtuality and the physical. In the installation, a series of performances presented new pieces written especially for this setting. The pieces were performed by musicians in Stanford, mediated in real-time, allowing them to play together with the theatre organ in Stockholm, temporarily fusing the two venues to create one ensemble, one audience, in one space.

SharedSpaces is a WebRTC design prototype that creates a virtual media space where people can mingle and interact. Although you are in different locations, you appear side by side in front of a chosen backdrop. This interactive installation addresses spatial and social connectedness, stressing the importance of integrating architectural and spatial features to support complex social dynamics in mediated interaction. The tool engages users in manipulating their real-time videostreams, creatively co-designing a shared mediated space that fits a contextual need. It supports social dynamics by allowing users to draw and paint together and to move and resize video streams. Further, it enhances grounding and social cues by merging videostreams and space, representing users as if they were in the same space. Standard and easily available equipment is used. Recent user studies show that a seamless integration of space, social dynamics and shared activity benefits the experience of presence, naturalness, immersion/engagement and social connectedness.

The work presented here seeks an integration of spatial and social features supporting shared activities, and engages users in multiple locations to manipulate realtime video-streams. Standard and easily available equipment is used together with the communication standard WebRTC. It adds a spatial quality of experience by representing the users anywhere on the screen, with easily changed diverse backdrops, inviting users to co-design a shared mediated space. User studies show that a seamless integration of space, social dynamics and shared activity benefits the experience of presence, naturalness, immersion/ engagement and social connectedness. The results inform a discussion about spatial and social connectedness, stressing the importance of design to integrate architectural/spatial features and support complex social dynamics in mediated interaction.

På medieteknikprogrammet vid KTH har vi under tolv års tid genomfört dialogduksseminarier som ett av de första momenten som nya studenter på programmet möter. Metoden går ut på att studenterna i mindre grupper diskuterar frågor rörande sina framtida studier. Frågorna är huvudsakligen av reflektiv karaktär och tar upp ämnen såsom ansvarsfördelningen mellan universitet, kamrater och sig själv, det egentliga syftet med högre studier, och hur man vid examen skulle vilja kunna se tillbaka på sina studier på KTH. Frågorna finns på ett tryckt ark i 70x100-format, och de gemensamma svaren dokumenteras på samma ark. I denna artikel presenterar vi mer ingående den bakomliggande pedagogiska idén, de frågor som diskuteras på dialogduken, de svar som studenter brukar ge på frågorna och våra sammantagna erfarenheter av att ha genomfört seminarierna med tolv årskullar studenter. Vi argumenterar för att dialogduksseminarier är en effektiv och resurssnål metod för att introducera och reflektera kring högre studier och att denna metod är generellt tillämpbar på alla typer av högre utbildning.

 Based on design-driven research and ten years teaching a Masters level course in presence design and production, an interdisciplinary team of researchers present a series of reflections. The topic of mediated presence requires that both teacher and student indulge in theory and practice from a range of disciplines. Over 200 student projects and 20 research installations have been designed and executed over the years, each addressing spatial and temporal strategies for producing presence, along with critical design concepts: how to establish trust in mediated environments and the formation of a tacit communication contract between participants. These will be key aspects for the future of personal video communication.

This paper describes collaborative research at the intersection of media technology, architecture, archaeology and museum studies between The Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) and The National Historical Museum in Stockholm (SHM). The two projects presented are “Mediated presence to cultural heritage environments” and “Modern Heritage Processes and Remote Presence”, which were funded by the Swedish National Heritage Board. The paper addresses the potential for increased public access to cultural heritage sites by means of video-mediated communications and outreach activities. A “Mediated Window” was designed which enabled visitors to remotely experience presence and to interact between two different sites, thus creating an architectural, mediated extension of space. The case studies confirmed that mutual gaze is important to the experience of presence and that a combination of architectural and technical design is required to fully support this experience. Further, the studies showed that a mediated spatial extension, in combination with outdoor public learning activities and participation, can evoke an interest in modern cultural heritage and promote public dialogue in such contexts.

Projektet är ett mångvetenskapligt samarbete i mötet mellan medieteknik, arkitektur, arkeologi och museistudier. Det tar sin utgångspunkt i en pilotstudie 2008 då Historiska Museet i Stockholm tillfälligt förlängdes till en publik arkeologisk utgrävning på Djurgården: platsen för den Allmänna Konst- och Industriutställningen 1897. En medierad fönsterdörr mellan de två platserna möjliggjorde att museets besökare, arkeologer och förbipasserande kunde se och samtala med varandra i realtid. Projektet fördjupar frågor som forskarna tidigare arbetat med på skilda håll. Statens historiska museum bygger vidare på erfarenheter från FoU-projektet Publik arkeologi (2007) samt FoU-projekt kring museisamlande och publik arkeologi som finansierats av Statens kulturråd (2008). KTH tar avstamp i FoU-projektet En tillgänglig forskningskulturmiljö (2006-2008) vilket givit värdefulla insikter vad gäller medierad tillgänglighet (presence design) och betydelsen av samverkan mellan arkitekter och medietekniker för användarinvolverad utveckling och gestaltning. 

Based on a case study where the Museum of National Antiquities in Stockholm, Sweden, was extended to an archaeological excavation site, this paper addresses the potential for increased public access to cultural heritage sites by means of video-mediated communications and outreach activities. During two weeks in the summer of 2008 the Stockholm Art and Industry Fair of 1897 was excavated as part of a collaborative process between archaeologists and the general public. A “Mediated Window” was designed which enabled visitors to remotely experience presence and to interact between the museum and the excavation site, thus creating an architectural, mediated extension of space. The case study confirmed that mutual gaze is important to the experience of presence and that a combination of architectural and technical design is required to fully support this experience. The mediated museum extension attracted large numbers of visitors, including new categories of visitors who were less likely to visit the museum. The study showed that a mediated extension, in combination with outdoor public learning activities and participation, can evoke an interest in modern cultural heritage and promote public dialogue in such contexts. 

Projektet är ett mångvetenskapligt samarbete i mötet mellan medieteknik, arkitektur, arkeologi och museistudier. Det tar sin utgångspunkt i en pilotstudie 2008 då Historiska Museet i Stockholm tillfälligt förlängdes till en publik arkeologisk utgrävning på Djurgården: platsen för den Allmänna Konst- och Industriutställningen 1897. En medierad fönsterdörr mellan de två platserna möjliggjorde att museets besökare, arkeologer och förbipasserande kunde se och samtala med varandra i realtid. Projektet fördjupar frågor som forskarna tidigare arbetat med på skilda håll. Statens historiska museum bygger vidare på erfarenheter från FoU-projektet Publik arkeologi (2007) samt FoU-projekt kring museisamlande och publik arkeologi som finansierats av Statens kulturråd (2008). KTH tar avstamp i FoU-projektet En tillgänglig forskningskulturmiljö (2006-2008) vilket givit värdefulla insikter vad gäller medierad tillgänglighet (presence design) och betydelsen av samverkan mellan arkitekter och medietekniker för användarinvolverad utveckling och gestaltning.