Grounded Imagination : Challenge , paradox and inspiration

Instruments: Disappearing Days (Mobile Minds), Troubadour (Creativity 2n). Abstract Two Disappearing Days and five Troubadour workshops have allowed us to explore a dual focus on creativity within the Disappearing Computer Initiative (DC) and the paradox of 'grounded imagination' in international and multidisciplinary design teams. We have worked 'Creativity 2 n' addressed a dual focus on creativity with the DC programme. Many DC projects aiming to (1) support creativity in people's everyday practice and (2) spark creativity within multidisciplinary design teams. The concept of 'grounded imagination' describes the paradox of connecting a deep understanding of present practices with the process of creating new, appropriate, desirable and innovative future technologies. The methodologies we have designed and applied make for a hands-on approach to these issues. They include: speed-days, focus boards, field packs, inspiration packs, fieldwork, design interventions and animations. Outcomes for the projects involved and the DC community as a whole are: A number of important observations around 'creativity in everyday practice'; a shared understanding of challenges involved in achieving grounded imagination in international and interdisciplinary design teams; a collection of practical methods that respond to these challenges; and shared cross-project collaborative work experiences. The issues we have addressed are highly relevant and challenging. Finding ways of addressing the challenges is a process, calling for ongoing experimentation and imagination. The practical approaches and methods we have introduced clearly help in achieving grounded imagination. The benefits of bringing together projects, fields, approaches and challenges, identifying common ground, and working together are threefold. First, all participants gain an opportunity to reflect upon their own work from a different perspective. Second, teams learn about a collection of new (and known) methods as they are applied to important project-specific and DC relevant questions. Third, collectively we have made intense, productive collaboration between (relative) strangers with diverse disciplinary perspectives possible – shaping DC community experience and intra-project collaboration. Finally, Disappearing Days and Troubadours are effective, but demand that organisers (and participants) devote considerable time over and above the 1.5 days of actual contact to preparation, and reporting.