Dynamicland

Mar 16, 2025

Translated from Korean

Philosophy of Technology

• I'm exploring the case of Dynamicland further, as introduced at the end of Silvio Lorusso's 2021 article The User Condition: Computer Agency and Behavior.

Brief Description

• Dynamicland is a research lab and community space in Oakland, California, embodying the concept that the physical space itself becomes the computer, moving beyond traditional screen-based computing. In this space:
• Paper, books, objects, etc., all become computational elements
• A ceiling-mounted camera and projector system recognizes and responds to these objects
• An environment enabling people to collaborate and engage in tangible programming

Dynamic Land's Core Philosophy

• Computing should be deeply human and collaborative, and it must integrate with the real physical world rather than remain hidden behind screens in an abstract digital realm.
• Brett Victor's work is deeply connected to his philosophy. He has long developed the idea of "Humane Representation of Thought," fundamentally believing that current computing fails to properly utilize our cognitive and physical capabilities. Computing confined to screens and keyboards limits human potential.

[Note] His famous presentations "The Future of Programming" or "Media for Thinking the Unthinkable" -> Check them out!

• Traditional computing has barriers to entry, right? You have to learn coding and get familiar with interfaces. But Dynamic Land lets us interact with computing through natural human behaviors—things we do instinctively like drawing on paper, moving objects, or talking together.
• The kids participating in the video were especially impressive, right? For them, it probably just feels like play, but in the process, they naturally experience complex systems thinking and computing concepts. Breaking down barriers to technology.

Dynamicland intro / Bret Victor — August 2024

Latest video > "Dynamicland is a nonprofit research lab creating a humane dynamic medium." The word "humane" is key here. It embodies the philosophy that technology should be human-centered and humane. > "…computation doesn't mean scrolling around in screens. It means working out in the real world with physical materials." This part emphasizes breaking away from screens. It's a critique that modern computing is too confined to screens. > "It means people coming together in the same space. Getting their hands on the same thing. Looking each other in the eye. Being present in the same reality." This passage is incredibly powerful. One thing we've lost in the digital age is authentic human connection. > "…computation doesn't mean apps, and it doesn't mean software developers… It means everyone making all this for themselves, for their own needs, and their own situations." This is a truly fundamental vision for democratizing technology. It breaks down the barriers between experts and ordinary people. > "Anyone can change any program at any time, and see the changes immediately." This part is also crucial. Most tech systems are closed black boxes, but in Dynamic Land, everything is open and modifiable. > "You don't have to simulate a virtual world when the real world simulates itself." Instead of complicating things by simulating a virtual world, we leverage the characteristics of the real world. > "Democracy requires universal literacy. And democracy in the 21st century is going to require a new kind of literacy…" Here, Brett expands the concept of literacy. While the ability to read and write was fundamental to democracy in the past, today we need a new form of literacy to understand and participate in complex systems. > "…for understanding and discussing systems that can't be captured in words and pictures." This part is truly pivotal. Complex systems like the environment, economy, health, and equity are difficult to fully express through simple text or images. These complex systems must be understood through interaction. > "We're not going to solve these things in here. Or in here." And as mentioned here, it's difficult to solve these problems within personalized devices like smartphones or smart glasses. This is also a critique of personal computing. > "We're going to solve these things out here. Where we can gather around, as real people, and use computation to explore ideas together." This final sentence holds the most hopeful yet challenging vision. Complex problems can be solved in spaces with real human connection, when we gather together and harness the power of computing.

How Dynamic Land Works

Basic Infrastructure

1. Physical Environment Setup
   • Camera and projector systems installed on the ceiling
   • All surfaces—tables, walls, floors—become potential workspaces
2. Recognition System
   • Cameras recognize all objects, paper, and people's movements within the space
   • Specifically capable of recognizing text, drawings, and code written on paper
3. Realtalk System
   • The core system managing all programs and interactions
   • Interprets and executes text-based programs
   • Projects digital information onto the physical space

Practical Use Cases

Example 1: Exploring Musical Rhythms

1. Write "rhythm"-related code on paper
2. Draw different rhythm patterns on multiple paper pieces
3. Place these papers on the table for the system to recognize
4. Projectors visualize the corresponding rhythm on each paper and play the sound
5. Moving papers or rearranging them changes the rhythm in real-time

Example 2: Learning Molecular Biology

1. Draw a DNA structure on paper
2. Write a specific enzyme code on another piece of paper
3. When the two papers are placed close together, the projector visualizes the interaction between the DNA and the enzyme
4. Students experiment with various combinations to learn the concepts

Example 3: Maps and Population Statistics

1. Draw or print a map on paper
2. Write commands like "show population density" on another sheet
3. Placing these together visualizes population density on the map
4. Adding another data request sheet (e.g., "show income levels") changes the visualization

How to Cover Diverse Topics

The key is flexibility and modularity:

1. Simple components - Break complex systems into small modules
2. Physical metaphors - Represent abstract concepts as physically manipulable forms
3. Collaborative construction - Multiple people add diverse elements leveraging their expertise
4. Real-time feedback - Changes are instantly visualized, facilitating exploration and experimentation

In other words, think of Dynamic Land as a platform rather than a fixed application. Just as paper and pencil can express any subject, Dynamic Land is a flexible system capable of expressing and exploring any theme.

This system is possible because it fundamentally adopts an augmenting physical reality approach. By adding computing power to physical manipulations we're already familiar with (moving paper, arranging objects, etc.), it allows us to handle complex concepts intuitively.

Considering from an STS Perspective

• The materiality and social aspects of technology
• Questions about who has the authority to create and use technology
• How knowledge is generated and shared within communities
• Lucy Suchman's research - She is famous for the concept of situated action, emphasizing that technology cannot be separated from its social context. This overlaps significantly with the philosophy of Dynamic Land.
• Paul Dourish's "Where the Action Is" - His research on embodied interaction addresses the integration of the physical and digital worlds, much like Dynamic Land.
• STS discussions related to mattering - particularly Karen Barad's material turn discussions can be connected to Dynamic Land's concept of physical computing.

Connecting to Sociotechnical Imagination

• Sheila Jasanoff's concept of sociotechnical imaginaries
• Dynamic Land can truly be seen as a real-world embodiment of sociotechnical imaginaries. The vision of future computing that Brett Victor and his team envision goes beyond mere technical feasibility; it embodies a vision of the kind of society they want to create.

> "Coproduction of technology and society: The concept that technology doesn't unilaterally influence society, nor does society unilaterally shape technology; rather, the two mutually form and develop together." This is precisely what Dynamic Land achieves. The technology they create reconfigures social relationships and spaces, and these transformed spaces then influence the direction of technological development, demonstrating a cyclical relationship.

> "The reason things like science fiction are important is that they influence the creation of shared imaginations about such futures." Dynamic Land itself can be seen as an effort to materialize a kind of science fiction-like imagination. The concept of "communal computing" represents a vision completely different from what we commonly think of as computing.

This is such a fascinating intersection - The connection between the socio-technological imaginary you're studying and Dynamic Land is truly intriguing.

-> Whose vision does Dynamic Land's socio-technological imagination reflect? And why doesn't this alternative technological vision become mainstream?

Looking at the themes mentioned in the website text for Dynamic Land:

"maps and demographics, ecologies, rhythm, harmony, color, painting, animation, history, politics, Afrofuturism, poetry, weaving, family histories, signal processing, molecular cloning, optics, planets, statistics, symmetry, group theory, thermodynamics, quantum computing…"

It's truly fascinating that such diverse subjects are addressed within one space. The interdisciplinary approach spanning science, art, and humanities stands out. This raises questions from a socio-technical imagination perspective:

Diversity and Power: Including such diverse topics carries an implicit message about whose knowledge and interests are valued. How does this contrast with the mainstream tech industry's focus on productivity, efficiency, and profit? Democratization of Knowledge: Topics like "Afrofuturism, family histories, weaving" have traditionally been marginalized in academic/technical spaces. By including them, what alternative knowledge systems are being acknowledged? Breaking Boundaries: How does an approach that breaks down boundaries between art (rhythm, color, poetry), science (molecular cloning, quantum computing), and society (politics, history) enable new forms of knowledge production? The Relationship Between Materiality and the Digital: What significance does connecting traditional material practices like "weaving" to the digital realm hold? How does this deconstruct the dichotomy between material culture and digital culture? Expanding Social Imagination: By addressing such diverse topics within one space, what new social relationships and forms of collaboration are being imagined?

Particularly regarding the "communal science" section:

"People from different fields working together in the same space… Building models together on the same table. Learning each other's expertise."

This vision presents a new imagination for interdisciplinary collaboration. As an alternative to the current reality of fragmented academic and professional fields, how can it be seen as an attempt to reconfigure the very mode of knowledge production itself? From this perspective, Dynamic Land can be viewed as a socio-technical project that goes beyond simple technological experimentation to reimagine knowledge production itself.

Tangible Interfaces

Tangible Interfaces (or Tangible User Interfaces, TUI) are a type of user interface that bridges the physical world and digital information. It's a way of interacting with computers by manipulating digital information through physical objects we can actually touch.

To put it simply:

• A typical GUI (Graphical User Interface) involves clicking virtual buttons or icons on a screen with a mouse.
• In contrast, a TUI (Tangible User Interface) involves touching, moving, and manipulating real objects to interact with the computer.

Representative examples:

1. LEGO Mindstorms - Programming robots using physical LEGO blocks
2. Reactable - Create music by placing and moving objects on a table
3. Topo Sandbox - Change projections by physically manipulating sand to alter terrain

Advantages of these interfaces:

• Intuitive and easy to learn (intuitive learning)
• Naturally collaborative for multiple users
• Allows concrete experience of abstract digital concepts
• Provides richer experiences by utilizing physical senses and movement

Dynamic Land can be seen as extending this tangible interface concept to the entire space. The physical environment itself becomes the interface.

While AR/VR has advanced significantly recently, tangible interfaces differ philosophically because they don't involve entering the digital world; they are about bringing digital into the physical world.

Thoughts still in progress

> "It's about placing computing power in the physical world and providing a completely different interface, right?"

Exactly! That's precisely it! The traditional approach pulls people into the digital world (via screens, mice, keyboards), but Dynamic Land does the opposite: bringing computation into our physical world.

> "It's the complete opposite of being trapped by terms like 'user interface' and 'user-friendliness' to provide people with externally dictated convenience."

This insight is really important! Current "user-friendly" interfaces actually only allow a prescribed way of interaction. Apps or software dictate how you should use it.

Dynamic Land embraces the exact opposite philosophy:

• People can configure and reconfigure the system in their own way
• The interface adapts to the user, not the other way around
• Emphasizes roles as "creators" or "participants" rather than mere "users"

This presents a fundamentally different power dynamic in the relationship between technology and humans. Most current technology is closed like a black box, designed for users to merely consume it "conveniently." Dynamic Land reveals how technology works, allowing people to understand it and build and modify it themselves.

"We must step outside the screen. All of us." That's the most crucial message Brett Victor's Dynamic Land conveys. We've lost so much by becoming too deeply immersed in the digital world. Genuine collaboration in physical spaces, the tactile sensation of touching things, direct connections with people… Modern technology tends to trap us in our own isolated bubbles. The ironic situation where we each stare at our own screens, failing to communicate with the person right next to us, has become the norm.

"That's how we change the world."

This part is also crucial. Complex social issues, environmental crises, and inequality—these big challenges can't be solved from behind a screen. They can only be tackled when people actually gather together and take action rooted in the real world. Dynamic Land's radical reimagining isn't just about creating new technology; it forces us to rethink the very relationship between technology and humanity. It shows the possibility that technology can be a tool that expands our thoughts and actions, rather than a fence that confines us.

Reading

https://dynamicland.org/2024/The_communal_science_lab.pdf