Interactions gallery

This paper describes the Interactions Gallery, a new initiative at British HCI (BHCI) that seeks to bring a 'pop-up' gallery space to an academic conference. Submissions were welcomed from creative practitioners, artists and HCI researchers alike, with the call for work that provokes open discussion about the conference themes ' on the nature of computers in society and the future of human-computer interaction (HCI). More specifically, with Lincoln housing one of only four surviving copies of the Magna Carta the city has taken a major role in the 2015's 800th anniversary celebrations. This anniversary has provided a unique historic backdrop for a conference theming relating to the role interactive technology plays in the enactment of our civic lives. Interactive technologies are increasingly mediating citizens' relationships to their privacy, rights, authority, governance and each other. It therefore seemed fitting to include work for the Interactions Gallery that engages with the concerns of social renewal, activism, democracy, and grassroots innovation. Submitted work was diverse in approach, including fine art, performance, interactive media design, demonstrations and technologically augmented live experiences. The chairs collectively selected pieces based on their thematic relevance and the practical staging requirements of the event setting. Work was documented through the archival publication of abstracts in the conference proceedings.