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The Giver of Names: Documentary Collection

Interview with David Rokeby

This interview with David Rokeby took place on September 18th, 2007 at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, and was conducted by Lizzie Muller and Caitlin Jones and filmed by Paul Kuranko.

Split out into thematic clips the interview addresses our broad research themes of "experiential," "conceptual" and "technical." The interview questions were based upon the Variable Media Questionnaire with additional questions focusing on audience experience.

Question 1Question 1
Introduction to the interactive experience of The Giver of Names
Question 1
Question 2Question 2
Experiential goals of the work as a whole
Question 2
Question 3Question 3
Experiential goals in regards to the physical objects (toys)
Question 3
Question 4Question 4
Experiential goals and ‘modes of engagement’
Question 4
Question 5Question 5
Experiential goals, the ‘sociability of experience,’ how The Giver of Names reveals personal characteristics
Question 5
Question 6Question 6
Installation considerations (light and room color)
Question 6
Question 7Question 7
Installation considerations in experiential terms (light and room color)
Question 7
Question 8Question 8
Installation considerations (dimensions of the space, scale and arrangement of elements in the space)
Question 8
Question 9Question 9
Installation considerations (evolution of screen positioning through previous installations)
Question 9
Question 10Question 10
Installation considerations (hardware visibility)
Question 10
Question 11Question 11
Installation considerations in experiential terms (physical arrangement and people flow)
Question 11
Question 12Question 12
The toys and their characteristics
Question 12
Question 13Question 13
Computer changes over time (hardware)
Question 13
Question 14Question 14
Emulation and migration of computer hardware
Question 14
Question 15Question 15
Changes to display equipment hardware
Question 15
Question 16Question 16
Hardware and software development in experiential terms
Question 16
Question 17Question 17
The camera
Question 17
Question 18Question 18
Limitations of original technology
Question 18
Question 19Question 19
Authoring of the software (operating system)
Question 19
Question 20Question 20
Authoring of the software (vocabulary database)
Question 20
Question 21Question 21
Language and artificial intelligence
Question 21
Question 22Question 22
The artists’ relationship to the code
Question 22
Question 23Question 23
Didactic materials: "What does the audience need to know?"
Question 23
Question 24Question 24
Current state of The Giver of Names
Question 24
Question 25Question 25
The essence of the work in the artist’s words
Question 25

Caitlin Jones & Lizzie Muller © 2008 FDL