“BNMI’s research summits are true test beds of one’s ideas and projects. Offered in a non-judgmental and intimate environment which fosters collaboration and communication and most of all, ongoing dialogue.”

~ Magdalena Wesolkowska, Lecturer/Researcher
University of Montréal

This summit considers the responsive environments of everyday life. What makes up the nano dream home of the future? Can your home emulate the subtlety of your emotions? Can it heal you? Is it extensible, wearable, inhabitable, and mobile? Will it report you and to whom?

Is ubiquity frightening, desirable? Do fear, possibility, or both motivate us? Are there materials that we can repurpose from military or industrial use to create engaging, culturally rich spaces?

Are responsive environments alive? Are they ecologically friendly? Designers and artists are creating environments that are able to respond to their user/wearer/host in direct and indirect ways. Applications include sports training, health awareness, entertainment and information. The expression of these technologies included fashion design for leisure, work and couture.

The Banff New Media Institute extends our ongoing discussions of living architectures, responsive materials and designs, wireless media and the corresponding philosophies, research futures and consumer products.

“As usual the BNMI provided a process and unique opportunity for intensifying and refining the ideas and practices in emerging fields of art and technology. Moreover, it is a nursery for new ideas and practices and new communities, and as such is an invaluable and central element of the new media ecosystem.”

~ Sha Xin Wei, Professor
School of Literature, Communication & Culture
Georgia Tech

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