Philip van Allen

Research Statement

My work revolves around how the designed behavior of things (objects and spaces, physical and virtual) can create powerful mixes of utility and significance for people. In particular, I’m interested in deploying systems of things with productive affordances that enable:

• knowledge creation, dissemination, and exploration
• evocative, poetic use and management of our virtual and physical things
• the inspiration and fostering of imagination

These ecologies of things are composed of embodied and tangible artifacts in combination with virtual, pliable media in all its forms. In addition to creating systems of knowledge, control and imagination, I’m interested in the fundamental and challenging questions around the relationship between the tangible and the virtual, the embodied thing and the media thing. 

The following are specific areas of investigation:

Productive Interaction - Designing new systems of interaction that empower the user to create their own sets of meanings. These systems range from high definition environments for exploring complex information to interactive installations at auto shows.

Interactive Music & Sound - Designing systems that enable people to dynamically interact with sound to create new experiences. These systems are smart and understand how to automatically remix and recombine music and sound, providing the user with simple handles for complex behaviors. Examples include music making products for non-musicians and interactive multi-channel, surround-sound installations. Of particular interest are systems that enable multiple people to collaborate in the creation of music and sound landscapes in real time, both for enjoyment and to create layers of sonic information within interactive knowledge environments.