Biography
Karmen Franinovic is Professor for Interaction Design at the ZHdK. She heads the subject area Interaction Design, leading its strategy processes as well as educational and research contents. Karmen leads projects at Institute for Design Research and teaches in the BA and MA programs. She is co-heading Transdisciplinary Artistic PhD and heads the Enactive Environments Lab. Karmen is currently leading a research project "Interfacing the Ocean: Towards a Sea Change in Design" which explores interactions within ocean ecologies and ways they impact on design thinking and making.
With her background in architecture, art and design, Karmen is moved by the desire to explore dynamic and ephemeral processes, be it an urban soundscape, a creative process, a learning experience or an ecosystem. Questions of interactivity and cognition within social, sensorial and material ecologies are researched by designing technologies that engage bodily and spatial knowledge. Karmen worked on the design of public buildings, participatory public installations, shape-changing and sonic sculptures, haptic floors and rehabilitation wearables, among others. Her research outputs grounded in enactive experiences and theories challenge established interaction paradigms to foster more situated, reflective and playful uses of technology.
Curriculum Vitae
Karmen holds the Dr.Phil. degree from School of Art and Media at the University of Plymouth (2013), the Laurea degree Summa cum Laude from Istituto Universitario di Archittetura di Venezia (2000) and Master's degree from the Interaction Design Institute Ivrea (2004). She worked as an architect on large scale public buildings while employed at AltenArchitekten at Studio ArchA, and in collaboration with Arata Isozaki and Associates, and Arup. She contributed to the design of structures such as the olympic hockey palace for the 2004 winter games in Torino. She taught internationally, for example at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada and Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti in Milano. Karmen's work manifests in publications as well as design outputs such as responsive spaces, digital architecture, video and interactive installations. It has been exhibited internationally, at institutions including Ircam-Centre Pompidou (Paris), SF Camerawork (San Francisco), Fondazione Sandretto (Torino), Miami Bienal, MoMA Ljubljana, Far Eastern Memorial Foundation (Taipei), DEAF (Rotterdam), The Junction (Cambridge), and Oboro (Montreal), among others.
Interfacing Ecologies
Responsive Environments
Since 2000, Karmen created responsive environments that engage social and sensorial interaction in public space. Her urban installations invite passers-by to explore, modulate and affect the evolution of the multidimensional urban fabric, together with the presence and condition of its co-inhabitants. Play is used as a strategy for challenging habitual behaviors and opening up alternative context in which unknown individual and collective gestures may be revealed. These projects act as research probes into sensorial and social tissues of which urban spaces are composed. Karmen is a founding member of the Internet of Things Council where questions of tangible and embodied interaction are discussed on European level. Most recently, she is working on creation of self-actuated materials, such as self-moving surfaces (electroactive polymers) and self-illuminating surfaces (electroluminescent paper) with a goal of designing a more alive and responsive architecture.
Keywords: tangible computing, adaptive architecture, active materials, smart city, hospitality, play, participatory methods
Enactive Sound Design
Karmen's doctoral thesis Amplifiying Actions: Towards Enactive Sound Design (2012) proposes an enactive approach to interactivity and to sound design. With Sonic Interaction Design (MIT Press, 2013) book, she and colleagues introduced this emerging field to designers and artists. The project was supported by the European Science Foundation COST Action on Sonic Interaction Design for which Karmen acted as a Swiss national delegate and collaborated with colleagues across Europe, Canada and Australia. She was also involved in the COST Action on Soundscape of European Cities and Landscapes. From 2006 to 2009, Karmen led design research within the European FP6 project CLOSED: Closing the Loop of Sound Evaluation and Design. The CLOSED project was a milestone for fostering research on sonic interaction at the European level, and the first EU project to be based at a university of the arts in Switzerland. Currently, she is leading research projects in medical technology where sonic and haptic interaction plays an important role.
Keywords: embodied interaction, sonic interaction design, enactive sound design, multimodal interfaces, embodied cognition
Websites
- http://www.enactiveenvironments.com
- http://iad.zhdk.ch/karmen-franinovic
Research Projects
Interfacing the Ocean: Towards a Sea Change in Design, 2023-2027.
Funding Institution: The Swiss National Science Foundation
Transdisciplinary Artistic PhD Program, 2021-2024.
Funding Institution: Swissuniversities
Partner: Linz University of the Arts
Digit Soil Membrane-Soil-Interface, 2022
Funding Institution: Innosuisse: Swiss Innovation Agency
Partner: Digit Soil AG
Leveraging Microbes in Soil Ecosystems, 2020-2022
Partners: The Swiss Federal Institute for Forest Snow and Landscape Research
TOFI : TOngue FItness trainer, 2020-2021
Partners: EMPA: Material’s Science and Technology, Universitaetsspital Basel and BottMedical AG
Funding Institution: Innosuisse: Swiss Innovation Agency
http://bottmedical.ch
ISEAR: Integrated System for Encouragment of Arm Rehabilitation, 2016-2018
Partners: Yband, Neurologische Klinik, Universitätsspital Zurich
Funding Institution: The Commission for Technology and Innovation (KTI), Switzerland
http://www.ybandtherapy.com
STST: Science Toys - Science Tools, 2015-2017
Partners: Technorama Science Center and Zurich University of Applied Sciences
Funding Institution: Gebert Rüf Foundation
BIDNO: Basic Interaction Design for Networked Artefacts. 2015
Funding Institution: Institute for Design Research. Zurich University of the Arts.
EFS: Evaluation of Feedback Systems in Automatized Walking Training, 2014.
Partners: Habtronics,ZHAW, Interstaatliche Hochschule für Technik Buchs and awtec AG
Funding Institution: The Commission for Technology and Innovation, Switzerland.
Think Active! Theory-Practice Techniques. 2013.
Partners: Liquid Things, Die Angewandte, Wien and OCT-Loft Festival, Shenzhen, China
Spaces of Attention. 2013.
Partners: Performative Praxis: Jens Badura and ICST: German Torro-Perez
Funding Institution: Z+
Research Online: Exhibiting Art as Research on Internet. 2013. PI: Prof. Dr. Florian Dombois.
HyperAura - Popup Exhibitions and Gestural Scenography, 2012-2013.
Funding Institution: 3F Stiftung.
Soundscape of European Cities and Landscapes. 2009-13.
Partners: http://soundscape-cost.org/
Funding Institution: COST Action, European Science Foundation.
Robjects for Kids. 2012.
Partners: Mobile Robots group, EPFL Lausanne
Funding Institution: NCCR Robotics
A-Int: Activity Engaging Interaction for Walking Rehabilitation project, 2011-2012.
Funding Institution: The Commission for Technology and Innovation, Switzerland.
Voice-Gesture Sketching Toolkit, 2011.
Funding Institution: European Science Foundation.
Sonic Interaction Design. 2007-2011.
Funding Institution: COST Action, European Science Foundation.
cost-sid.org/
CLOSED: Closing the Loop in Sound Evaluation and Design. 2006-2009.
Collaborators: Ircam (Paris), TU Berlin and University of Verona
closed.ircam.fr/
http://ics.zhdk.ch/ics/deutsch/forschungsprojekte/closed/
Funding Institution: European Commission 6th Framework, New and Emerging Science and Technology.
These are design research projects that have been conducted at ZHdK. For art research please visit the following website www.zero-th.org
Publication
Books
- K. Franinovic and S. Serafin, eds., Sonic Interaction Design, MIT Press. 2013
Patents
- K. Franinovic, D. Meier, S. Bauer, R. Gassert, Y. Kim, K. Leuenberger, A. Luft, J. Held and S. Latscha. Detecting and Evaluating Movements of a User. WO 2017/032765. 2017.
- Y. Visell, K. Franinovic, A. Law, J. Cooperstock, Floor-Based Haptic Communication System. US9041521 B2. 2015.
Selected book chapters
- K. Franinovic and R. Kirschner, ”Interacting in Entangled Environments” in Texturing Spaces: Towards an Exponential Cartography, Eds. A. Brisson-Darveau and Ch. Brunner, Adocs. 2021.
- K. Franinovic and R. Kirschner, ”Material Activity in Art and Design Practices” in Matters of Activity, Eds. H. Bredekamp and W. Schäffner, De Gruyter, 2020.
- R. Kirschner and K. Franinovic, ”Interacting in Entangled Environments” in Not at Your Service, Eds. B. Franke and H. Matter, 2020.
- K. Franinovic,"Vibrant Ground: Floor as an Active Stage Player" in Staging Space: The Architecture of Performance in the 21st Century, Ed. S. von FIscher, 2017.
- K. Franinovic," Thinking Active Materials : Actively Thinking Materials" in Raw Flows, Ed. R. Kirschner, 2016.
- K. Franinovic,"Inter-Action/Inter-Acting" in Handbuch Künstlerische Forschung, Ed. J. Badura, A. Haarmann and S. Dubach. Diaphanes, 2015.
- K. Franinovic, L. Franzke and C. Winkler, "Enactive Environments: Thinking and Creating with Active Materials " in Contemporary Design Education & Research, Ed. Li Degeng and Luo Yi, Guangxi Normal University Press, 2014.
- K. Franinovic, M. Kretzer, D. Bisig, F. Wille, M. Gmachl and R. Wingfield, "Actuated Matter". In Input_Output: Performative Materials In Architecture And Design. ed. Rashida Ng and Sneha Patel. Intellect Books, Ltd. 2013.
- K. Franinovic. "Basic Interaction Design for Sonic Artefacts in Everyday Contexts". Focused Current Design Research Projects and Methods. Swiss Design Network. Bern, 2008.
- K. Franinovic. "Enactive Encounters in the City", in Responsive Architectures book. Ed. P. Beesley, S. Hirosue, J. Ruxton, M. Traenkle and C. Turner, Riverside Architectural Press, 2006
- K. Franinovic, B. Juricic. "Amnio(p)tic surface" in Defining Digital Architecture, book, Far Eastern Memorial Foundation, New York, 2001
Selected journal articles
- R. Kirschner and K. Franinovic, "Microbiospherians: Leveraging Microbes in Biosphere 2", Journal of Performance Research, Vol. 25, No. 3: „On Microperformativity“ Routledge, May 2020
- K. Franinovic. "Architecting Play", Journal of AI & Society - Special issue on Poetic and Speculative Architectures in Public Space. Vol 26.2. Ed. Sha Xin Wei. 2011.
- Lemaitre G., Houix O., Visell Y., Franinovic K., Misdariis N. and Susini P., "Toward the Design and Evaluation of Continuous Sound in Tangible Interfaces: The Spinotron", International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, special issue on Sonic Interaction Design, 2009.
- K. Franinovic. "Toward Basic Interaction Design" in Design Research special issues of Elisava Temes de Disseny Journal. Barcelona, 2009.
- K. Franinovic. "Behavioural spaces, designing for the social and sensorial ecologies in public spaces", in Theatre, Dans, Etcetera (96), pp. 22-30. Belgium, April 2005
- K. Franinovic, F. Iovino. "Surfeks : taktile urban surface", in Gomorra, Territori e Culture della Metropoli, urban culture journal, Castelvecchi, Roma, 2001
Selected conference papers (peer-reviewed)
- L. Franzke, J. Gartman, D. Bachmann, T. Töpper and K. Franinovic, TOFI: Designing Intraoral Computer Interfaces for Gamified Myofunctional Therapy, Proc. of the CHI 2023 : Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2023.
- K. Franinovic and L. Franzke, Shape Changing Surfaces and Structures: Design Tools and Methods for Electroactive Polymers, Proc. of the CHI 2019 : Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2019. (Honorary Award)
- K. Franinovic, L. Franzke, A. Villa Torres and Florian Wille, Interacting with Electroactive Polymers in Responsive Environments, Proc. of the th TEI conference, 2019.
- L. Franzke, D. Rossi and K. Franinovic, Fluid Morphologies: Hydroactive Polymers for Responsive Architecture, in Fluid Morphologies: Hydroactive Polymers for Responsive Architecture, in: Posthuman Frontiers: Data, Designers And Cognitive Machines, Proc. of the 36th ACADIA conference, 2016. pp. 478-487.
- D. Hug, M. Kemper, K. Panitz and K. Franinovic, Sonic Playgrounds - Exploring Principles and Tools for Outdoor Sonic Interaction, Proceedings of the 10th Audio Mostly: ACM Conference on Interaction With Sound. 2016. (best paper nomination)
- K. Franinovic, L. Franzke "Luminous Matter: Electroluminescent Paper as an Active Material", Aesthetics of Interaction: Dynamic, Mulitsensory, Wise. In Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Design and Semantics of Form and Movement, DeSForM 2015.
- K. Franinovic "Flo)(ps: Between Habitual and Explorative Action-Sound Relationships", In Proceedings of the 7th international Conference on New interfaces For Musical Expression, NIME'11, Oslo, Norway.
- K. Franinovic. "Participatory Methods for Sonic Interaction Design", Participation in a Broadband Society Conference COST 298, Special Strand Sonic Interaction Design, Copenhagen, 2009.
- Guillaume Lemaitre, Olivier Houix, Karmen Franinovic, Yon Visell, Patrick Susini "The Flops glass: a device to study emotional reactions arising from sonic interactions" 2009
- K. Franinovic. "Amplified Movements: An Enactive Approach to Sound in Interaction Design". Proc. of the Planetary Collegium's 9th Intl. Conference. New Realities: Being Syncretic. Springer. Vienna, 2008
- K. Franinovic. "Architectures of Play: Participation and Interactivity". Proc. of the International Symposium on Electronic Art ISEA08, Singapore, 2008.
- K. Franinovic, Y. Visell. "Strategies for Sonic Interaction Design: From Context to Basic Design". Proc. of the 14th International Conference on Auditory Display, Paris, 2008.
- K. Franinovic, L. Gaye, F. Behrendt. "Exploring Sonic Interaction with Tangible Artifacts in Everyday Contexts", Proc. of the 14th International Conference on Auditory Display, Paris, 2008.
- Y. Visell, J.Cooperstock, B. Giordano, K. Franinovic, S. McAdams et al. "A Vibrotactile Device for Display of Virtual Ground Materials in Walking", Proc. of the Eurohaptics conference. Madrid, 2008.
- K. Franinovic, A. Wilson. "Hinge Dimension: An Exploration of Enaction in Architecture". Proc. of the 4th Intl. Conf. on Enactive Interfaces, Grenoble, 2007.
- Y. Visell, K. Franinovic, J. Cooperstock. "EcoTile: An Architectural Platform for Audio-Haptic Simulation in Walking". Proc. of the 4th Intl. Conf. on Enactive Interfaces, Grenoble, 2007.
- K. Franinovic, Y. Visell, D. Hug. "Sound Embodied: A Report on Sonic Interaction Design in Everyday Artefacts". The 13th International Conference on Auditory Display. Montreal, 2007.
- K. Franinovic, Y. Visell. "New Musical Interfaces in Context: Sonic Interaction Design in the Urban Setting", The 7th Intl. Conf on New Interfaces for Musical Expression, New York, 2007.
- K. Franinovic, "Participation in Urban Life: Democracy or Spectacle?", Proc. of The First Summit of the Planetary Collegium, Montreal, 2007.
- K. Franinovic and Y. Visell. "Modulating Urban Atmospheres: Opportunity, Flow, Adaptation", in Proc. of The 7th Intl. Conference on Ubiquitous Computing, Tokyo, 2005.
- K. Franinovic and Y. Visell. "Activating Space: from Representation to Being", in Proc. Intl. Symposium on Space and Perception, RIXC Center for New Media Culture, Riga, 2005.
- K. Franinovic and Y. Visell. "Sonic Diversion in the City, on interactive sound design and urban interventions", in Proc. Journées Design-Sonore 2004, Ircam/Centre Pompidou, Paris, 2004.
Dissertations
K. Franinovic, “Amplifying Actions: Towards Enactive Sound Design”, Doctoral Thesis, University of Plymouth and ZHdK. 2013. Available at http://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/handle/10026.1/1496
K. Franinovic. “Architectures of Subtraction: Relaxation and Play in the City”, Master thesis, Interaction Design Institue Ivrea 2004. Available at https://www.academia.edu/38457196/Architectures_of_Subtraction
K. Franinovic., “La citta e l'architettura digitale”, Laurea thesis, Istituto universitario di architettura di Venezia, 2001, IUAV library holdings. Available at http://iuavbc.iuav.it/sbda/main.php?section=207
Selected Exhibitions
- EAP: Electric Animal Plant a shape-changing installation responsive to generative sound, Design Biennal Zurich. with F. Wille. L. Franzke and A. Villa-Torres 2017.
- SOLO : Impossible Empathy, a electroactive polymer installation responsive to sound, “Laokoon 2016” group exhibition and event organized by H. Wickert, J. Badura and A. Nordmann. 2016.
- Fluid Morphologies, shape-changing water sculptures. With L. Franzke and D. Rossi. Phillips Collection, Washington DC 2015.
- Enactive Environments Research Methods, The OCT-LOFT Creative Festival, Contemporary International Design Research Exhibition. Curated by K. Franinovic. With L. Franzke and C. Winkler. Creative Culture Park, Shenzhen China. 2014.
- Haptic Tiles and Kontakt, TOUCH exhibition, Fondation Verdan, Lausanne 2012.
- Spinotron, at Science beyond Fiction, European Future Technologies Conference, Prague 2009.
- CLOSED research project, at Demain, c'est aujourd'hui exhibition. 10th Biennale Internationale du Design de Saint-Etienne.
- Flo)(ps, at Amplified Intimacies, an Interstices group exhibition. Oboro Gallery, Montreal, 2008.
- Hinge_Dimension, responsive labyrinthine architecture. Enter Unknown Territories Festival. Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene (12th century). Cambridge, UK. April 2007. with A. Wilson.
- Skyhooks, responsive urban environment, 10th Happy New Ears Festival, Kortrijk, Belgum. 2006.
- Charged Space, collaborative experiment, Dancing the Virtual event. SAT, Montreal, 2006, with F. Abtan.
- Autogrill Monument, highway monument project. Monument Recall: Improbable Monuments exhibition, SF Camerawork, San Francisco, 2004, with L. Thie http://www.sfcamerawork.org/improbable_monuments.html
- Recycled Soundscapes, public sound installation. Resonances festival 2004, Ircam / Centre Pompidou, Place Stravinsky, Paris, 2004, with Y. Visell http://resonances2004.ircam.fr/evenements_art.html?event=24
- Politicomobil, critical community car design. BITE: a taste of interactive explorations exhibition, Fondazione Sandretto re Rebaudengo, Turin, 2004, with B. Negrillo http://www.fondsrr.org/
- Syncoptic, responsive architecture experiment. Artist in residence exhibition, FoAM lab, Brussels. 2003, with L. Kusaite and Y. Visell http://fo.am/illumine/exercise02.html
- Kontakt, at Dutch Electronic Arts Festival 2003, V2 Institute for Instable Media, Rotterdam, Feb 2003, with boutiquevizique
- TransgenEthic Structures, at Surface as Ultraskin exhibition, Museum of Modern Art Ljubljana, 2002, with B. Juricic,
- Amnioptic Surface, at Miami Beach Bienal: Possible Futures exhibition, 2001, with B. Juricic.
Selected exhibition catalogs:
- K. Franinovic. Artist Statement, in exhibition catalogue TOUCH: Le Monde au Bout des Doigts", MUDAC and Musée de la Main, Lausanne, 2013.
- Coefficients d'intimité / Amplified Intimacies, exhibition catalogue, 2011. Artists: Chloé Lefebvre and Jean Dubois, François Quévillon, Lynn Hughes and Heather Kelly, Karmen Franinovic and Yon Visell, Adad Hannah and Niklas Roy, Ying Gao, Matthew Biederman and James Partaik.
- K. Franinovic. "Architectures of Subtraction : Relaxation and Play in the City", in Interaction Design Almanacco 04, Interaction Design Institue Ivrea 2004.
- K. Franinovic, B. Negrillo. "Politicomobil: Political Systems inside the Community Car", in Interaction Design Almanacco 03, Interaction Design Institue Ivrea 2003.
- K. Franinovic and B. Juricic. "Amnio(p)tic Surface", Bienal Miami + beach 2001 e-competition Possible Futures catalogue, Miami, 2001
- K. Franinovic. "Angel's Angle", Il Futuro e la Citta' 5th Festival Internazionale di Architettura in Video, iMage, Florence, 2000