Object theatre exercises unfolding human-object relations in participatory design processes

Merja Ryöppy

About this exposition

This research exposition presents practical object theatre exercises and investigates how these exercises may enhance the designer’s practice to work with objects in participatory design projects. The study was set up in a theatre-design laboratory in collaboration with researcher and lecturer Sean Myatt from Nottingham Trent University and an international cohort of three design graduates with multidisciplinary backgrounds in design, communication, and social work. The exposition showcases three object theatre exercises – The Object Family Tree, Satelliting Objects, and Dance the Object – which were originally developed for exploring the performativity of readymade objects in theatre workshops. I demonstrate and discuss how these exercises can help designers within participatory design to engage with readymade objects and develop their practice further. I suggest that object theatre research methodology can contribute to participatory design processes by opening new potentials of physical object interaction, inviting unexpected perspectives on human-object relations, and exposing experienced object qualities. The designers in the study were able to consider object materiality, human-object relations, and reflective experiences with objects when designing interactions with non-designer participants in early phases of their participatory design research projects.

type	research exposition
keywords	Object theatre, participatory design, practice-based research, human-object, sensitising, object-body relationship, Readymade objects
date	26/06/2023
published	26/06/2023
last modified	26/06/2023
status	published
affiliation	University of Southern Denmark
copyright	Merja Ryöppy
license	CC BY-NC-ND
language	English
url	https://www.researchcatalogue.net/view/826938/954477
doi	https://doi.org/10.22501/jar.826938
published in	Journal for Artistic Research
portal issue	29. 29

name	Object Family Tree background light
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name	01Background
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name	02The Obejct Family Tree shadow
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name	03Satelliting Objects
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name	04Dance the Object
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name	05Discussion
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name	01JAR Object Family Tree final
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name	04JAR Tree Sensual and intellectual watch
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name	05JAR Tree Powerfull Nutcracker and sensitive parents
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name	02JAR Tree Tactile sensing
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name	Screenshot 2019-11-29 at 00.00.57
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name	01Background shadow
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name	02The Object Family Tree
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name	SF objects
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name	T puppets
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name	R sponge
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name	JAR Satelliting object frame1
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name	JAR Satelliting object frame2
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name	JAR Object family frame1
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name	JAR Object family frame2
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name	JAR Object family frame3
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name	JAR Dancing object frame
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name	JAR Dancing object frame1
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name	JAR Dancing object frame6
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name	JAR Dancing object frame11
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name	JAR Dancing object frame13
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name	JAR Dancing object frame15
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name	JAR Dancing object frame17
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name	Satelliting Objects background light
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name	03Satelliting Objects shadow
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name	06JAR Satelliting Objects final
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name	09JAR Satelliting emergent surprises
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name	07JAR Satelliting hanging
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name	08JAR Satelliting tapping and knocking
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name	10JAR Satelliting match made in heaven peg and hole
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name	Dance the Object background light
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name	04Dance the Object shadow
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name	11JAR Dancing the Object final
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name	12JAR Dancing Breaking down movement
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name	13JAR Dancing dividing roles
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name	14JAR Dancing communication through bobily movement
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name	05Discussion shadow
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name	observing
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name	R body objects
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Object theatre exercises unfolding human-object relations in participatory design processes (2023)

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