John James Marshall thesis.pdf - OpenAIR @ RGU - Robert Gordon ...

• ‘Otherwise unobtainable objects’ have qualities that are unlikely to be
achieved without the aid of a computer.
• ‘Responsive objects’ incorporate technologies such as sensing
mechanisms or dynamic media systems and interact with their audience
or users.
The value of this system is its applicability across disciplinary distinctions.
Specific technologies are not indicated and the definitions do not suggest any
particular scale or intent for the objects. These objects can be considered
‘boundary objects’ (see section 2.8.3) that provide a means of coordination
between the various communities of practice that make up the community of
interest addressed in this study. This work shows there is a significant body of
existing exemplary projects that can be recognised and understood across these
discourse communities.
The researcher gathered information that showed practitioners are working in
many different contexts, at different stages of technological integration and with
different levels of available resources. Many practitioners that were contacted
indicated their practice had been transformed by computer-based tools. Some
went as far to state the nature of their practice was now defined by these
technologies. This new characterisation of a ‘technology-led-practice’ can apply
to both discipline-based and extra-disciplinary modes of practice. However,
there are some clearly observable trends which can give a picture of transitions
from conventional models of practice towards characteristics of a ‘technologyled
practice’ (Table 19).
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