Renaissance Panel Recap and Results

I’m happy to share that some of the artifacts of our recent panel at CHI 2008 in Florence are now available. The Renaissance Panel: The roles of creative synthesis in innovation brought together a number of exciting speakers. We have made available the panel videos here (including slides) and edited transcripts of each speaker’s remarks.

Each speaker brought a unique and interesting perspective to the discussion:

• Hiroshi Ishii, a Professor of Media Arts and Sciences at the MIT Media Lab and director of the Tangible Media Group, discusses the distinction between art and science the need for the community’s appreciation of both.
• Panelist Maurizio Seracini, a pioneer in the use of multispectral imaging and other diagnostic technologies as applied to works of art and structures, sheds some light (both figuratively and literally) on his unique work.
• Also notable is Paolo Galluzzi, the Director of the Istituto e Museo Nazionale di Storia della Scienza. Galluzzi’s remarks explore the failings of museums as educational institutions and explores the future of the web as a tool for recontextualizing the museum.
• Sergio Dulio, who trained as an aerospace engineer, uses this experience as he explores and redefines the challenges of mass customization within the footwear industry - and presents the shoe as work of art.
• Infovis pioneer Fernanda Viégas focuses her research on the social side of visualization, exploring storytelling, collective sensemaking, and online identity. Her remarks help us visualize her ongoing social exploration in the Many Eyes project.
• And finally, Benjamin Mako Hill, author, technology and copyright researcher, activist, and consultant showcases the free software movement and open source software as innovation through collaboration.

Thanks again to our speakers and the attendees at the event!