WIKI-D
Project site
Keywords
Research rhetoric, mediating research, wiki discourse, multimodality, wicked problems, performativity
Overview
A production based inquiry into the digital mediation of outcomes of a large Norwegian research programme, with a focus on the use of wikis in multimodal, research discourses.
Aims
WIKI-D investigates the potential for web-based mediation of research outcomes from the large Norwegian Research Council programme KIM. It develops a collaborative online research rhetoric that uses a wiki tool to enable projects to mediate their outcomes. This online research rhetoric is investigated in as an instance of electronic research reporting. The aim of this is to explore way in which multimodal mediation may be articulated within and across projects. The website is linked to the closing conference for the KIM programme so that a face-to-face event is linked (with video) to project based mediation online. Part of this rhetoric will include a performance artist in the conference as a means to changing modes of participation and representation, with this available online too for comment.
Methods
The title WIKI-D refers to an emergent, exploratory discourse that none-the-less aims to highlight research outcomes internationally. The project takes up the notion of 'wicked problems (floated by Rittel). According to Wikipedia 'Wicked problems have incomplete, contradictory, and changing requirements; and solutions to them are often difficult to recognize as such because of complex interdependencies. Rittel and Webber stated that while attempting to solve a wicked problem, the solution of one of its aspects may reveal or create other, even more complex problems.' In an iterative digital design process, the WIKI-D site is built with reference to a similar mediation of research in our EU Culture 2000 funded project GRIG. For InterMedia especially, the GRIG site investigates processes of mediating artisitc research online, crossing partners and settings, media and art. The WIKI-D site is cocnerned with research outcomes and thus draws on reported research, coordinating it and highlighting semantic relations through tagging. This may be seen as an unfolding wicked problem in that wikis allow relations to be built and thereby aspects of transdisciplinarity may be revealed. These are built via participation.
Partners
Andrew Morrison (project leader), Synne Skjuklstad, Idunn Sem, Live Roaldset, & Jeremy Toussaint (Communication Design Group at InterMedia & InterMediaLab).
Duration
The project runs from January-March 2008. It is designed coincide with the Closing Conference for the KIM programme on 6 March 2008. Projects funded by KIM will be able to add to the site subsequent to the conference as needed.
Outcomes
WIKI-D project website, presentation and use of site at conference; performance by Marsha McLuhan; research paper for online journal.
Related projects
GRIG, Designing Design, MULTIMO.
Funding
WIKI-D is funded by the KIM programme, Research Council of Norway.
