Challenge 3: Informated Artefact by Rectifier

Mr Linear Nailer: The Average PhD Student

For the challenge of producing an artefact for the foyer of infolab21,Rectifier have constructed an 'emotional' PhD student. We are very proud of our PhD students and hope that Infolab21 provides a generally positive research atmosphere. Rather than construct some abstract pretence of a positive atmosphere, we have chosen to create an artefact that is honest;
People's emotions are not always apparent, especially if they are tucked away in offices, and so it is nice to know when things are going well, and important to know when they are not.

The constructed student is not an idealised portrayal of how we might wish things to be, but an honest depiction of how things are. We have used qualitative and quantitative methods to address the average physical appearance, average name, and the common emotions felt. From this data we have constructed a physical portrayal of the average student.

The student's face is expressive of emotion: an image is projected onto the constructed student's face conveying an emotion, and related sound effects are used. To gauge the average emotion in the department, people's status on instant messenger is observed. An algorithm maps the status of each person onto an 'emotion graph' which is then used by the
'expression engine' to convey the emotion. Eight different emotions can currently be conveyed.