Irene Chien, Ken Goldberg, Jane McGonigal, Greg Niemeyer, Jeff Tang: Bounce

Title:

Bounce

Artist(s) and People Involved:

Exhibiting Artist(s):

Symposium:

ISEA2006: 13th International Symposium on Electronic Art
More artworks from ISEA2006:

Venue(s):

Medium:

Conversation Game

Artist Statement:

Bounce is a non-competitive conversation game in which two people separated by at least 20 years of age connect by phone and answer a series of AI-supported questions about life experiences that they have in common, such as, ? What is something you BOTH think has changed for the better in the last 20 years??

Conversations happen by phone, with one participant entering the answers in the game interface. The authors secure the participation of residents of at least one Retirement Home in San Jose, and place Bounce markers on “Conversation Points” (such as the site of the first Radio Broadcast in San Jose) in the City of San Jose. These markers encourage conference visitors and residents alike to call up seniors participating in the game. They will be carefully selected by the seniors in collaboration with the game designers. Sites of special interest are places where seniors used to work, places where things happend that changed their lives, sites which no longer exist, but were replaced by a highway overpass. Seniors will ask passers-by site-related questions as a starting point and exchange their experiences through game-generated follow-up questions.

The goal of the game is to exchange as many experiences as possible, which will be reflected in a “Poem in Common”. These Poems in Common will be posted online and at the Conversation Sites after the conference, creating a lasting memory of the exchange.