free-form curation
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In art, curation is the creative conceptualization and design of a context. Works are arranged and interpreted in an exhibition space, to stimulate active engagement and produce cultural meaning. The works function as found objects. Free-form thinking is a creative cognitive process of open exploration, association, improvisation, synthesis, emergence, and ideation.

Free-form web curation is new media—designed to support users in creating new conceptual, spatial contexts—in which they discover and interpret relationships through visual thinking. They compose content elements to form a connected whole. LiveMâché is our browser and cloud based collaborative, free-form web curation system.

We have discovered a pattern language of spatial types of free-form curation that students use to organize web content. The goal of this holistic medium is to support creative cognition of relationships and the emergence of new ideas.

People engage in free-form web curation as a means of performing diverse ideation tasks involving multimedia "prior work" and live streams. Doing free-form web curation involves the invocation of creative strategies: Collect, Assemble, Shift Perspective, Sketch, Write, and Exhibit.

Free-form curation extends our prior work on information composition, which we supported through InfoComposer, combinFormation, and CollageMachine. Examplary free-form curations:

projects

LiveMâché is our current design curation probe. This art-inspired web app provides live, collaborative capabilities for collecting and organizing content, along with writing, sketching, chat, and live streaming video.
IdeaMâché is our previous web app that uses free-form web curation as a medium of expression. Curation is the process of creating and assembling information in meaningful exhibits, for people to think about.

publications + exhibits

Lupfer, N., Kerne, A., Linder, R., Fowler, H., Rajanna, V., Carrasco, M., Valdez, A. Multiscale Design Curation: Supporting Computer Science Students' Iterative and Reflective Creative Processes, Proc. ACM Creativity & Cognition 2019, 233-245 [30%]. https://doi.org/10.1145/3325480.3325483
Lupfer, N. Collaborative Design Curation: Supporting Creativity in Teams, Proc. ACM Creativity & Cognition 2019, 691-696. https://doi.org/10.1145/3325480.3326562
Kerne, A., Lupfer, N., Linder R., Qu, Y., Valdez, A., Jain, A., Keith, K., Carrasco, M., Vanegas, J., Billingsley, A., Strategies of Free-form Web Curation: Processes of Creative Engagement with Prior Work, Proc. ACM Creativity & Cognition 2017, 380-392 [29%]. http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/3059454.3059471
presentation mâché
Lupfer, N., Kerne, A., Webb, A.M., Linder R., Patterns of Free-form Curation: Visual Thinking with Web Content, Proc. ACM Multimedia 2016, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 12-21 [20%].
Best Paper Nominee (top 2%).
http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/2964284.2964303
Webb, A.M., Kerne, A., Linder, R., Lupfer, N, Qu, Y., Keith, K., Carrasco, M., Chen, Y., A Free-form Medium for Curating the Digital, in England, D., Schiphorst, T., Bryan-Kinns, N. eds. Curating the Digital Space for Art and Interaction, Springer, 2016, 73-87. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28722-5
Qu, Y. Supporting Ideation by Integrating Exploratory Search, Browsing, and Curation , Proc. ACM Conference on Human Information Interaction and Retrieval (CHIIR) 2016, 361-363. http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/2854946.2854948
Linder, R., Lupfer, N., Kerne, A., Webb, A. M., Hill, C., Qu, Y., Keith, K., Carrasco M., Kellogg, E. Beyond Slideware: How a Free-form Presentation Medium Stimulates Free-form Thinking in the Classroom, Proc. ACM Creativity and Cognition 2015. [28%].
Lupfer, N., Hamiliton, W. Webb, A., Linder, R., Edmonds, E., and Kerne, A., The Art.CHI Gallery: An Embodied Iterative Curation Experience, Interactivity Exhibit, Proc CHI 2015 EA. http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/2702613.2725457
Kerne, A., Webb, A.M., Smith, S.M., Linder, R., Lupfer, N., Qu, Y., Moeller, J., Damaraju, S., Using Metrics of Curation to Evaluate Information-based Ideation , ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction (ToCHI), 21(3), June 2014, 48 pages. http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/2591677
Webb, A.M., Kerne, A., Linder, R., Lupfer, N., Qu, Y., Keith, K., Carrasco, M., Multi-Scale Information Composition: a New Medium for Freeform Art Curation in the Cloud, CHI 2014 Workshop: Curating the Digital: Spaces for Art and Interaction, Toronto, Canada. [information composition]
Webb, A.M. and Kerne, A., Embodying Diagramming through Pen + Touch Gestures, CHI 2014 Workshop: Gesture Interaction Design: Communication and Cognition, Toronto, Canada.
Webb, A.M., Linder, R., Kerne, A., Lupfer, N., Qu, Y., Poffenberger, B., and Revia, C., Promoting Reflection and Interpretation in Education: Curating Rich Bookmarks as Information Composition, Proc. Creativity and Cognition 2013, 53-62 [32%]. http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/2466627.2466636
Webb, A.M. and Kerne, A., Creative Visual Thinking through Information Composition + Diagramming, CHI 2012 Visual Thinking & Digital Imagery Workshop, Austin, TX, USA.
Linder, R. and Kerne, A., Using Information Composition to Represent Connections Among Events Across Time and Place, CHI 2012 Workshop on Heritage Matters: Designing for current and future values through digital and social technologies.
Webb, A.M., Kerne, A. Integrating Implicit Structure Visualization with Authoring Promotes Ideation, Proc Joint ACM/IEEE Conf on Digital Libraries (JCDL) 2013, 203-212 [23%]. http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/1998076.1998116 [video]
Koh, E., Kerne, A., Deriving Image-Text Document Surrogates to Optimize Cognition, Proc ACM DocEng 2009, 84-93 [29.6%]. http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/1600193.1600212
Kerne, A., Koh, E., Smith, S. M., Webb, A., Dworaczyk, B., combinFormation: Mixed-Initiative Composition of Image and Text Surrogates Promotes Information Discovery , ACM Transactions on Information Systems (TOIS), 27(1), Dec. 2008, 5:1-45. http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/1416950.1416955
Kerne, A., Damaraju, S., Kumar, B., and Webb, A. Meta-Metadata: A Semantic Architecture for Multimedia Metadata Definition, Extraction, and Presentation, Poster and Demo Proc International Conf on Semantic and Digital Media Technologies (SAMT) 2008.
Kerne, A., Koh, E., Representing Collections as Compositions to Support Distributed Creative Cognition and Situated Creative Learning, New Review of Hypermedia and Multimedia (NRHM), 13(2) Dec 2007, 135-162. http://dx.doi.org/110.1080/13614560701711859
Kerne, A., Smith, S.M., Koh, E., Choi, H., Graeber, R., An Experimental Method for Measuring the Emergence of New Ideas in Information Discovery, International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction (IJHCI), 24 (5) July 2008, 460-477. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10447310802142243
Webb, A., Kerne, A. The In-Context Slider: A Fluid Interface Component for Visualization and Adjustment of Values while Authoring, Proc ACM Advanced Visual Interfaces (AVI) 2008, 91-99, [27.5%]. http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/1385569.1385586
Kerne, A., Koh, E., Smith, S.M., Choi, H., Graeber, R., Webb., A., Promoting Emergence in Information Discovery by Representing Collections with Composition, Proc ACM Creativity and Cognition 2007, 117-126 [23%]. http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/1254960.1254977
Koh, E., Kerne, A., Webb, A., Damaraju, S., Sturdivant, D., Generating Views of the Buzz: Browsing Popular Media and Authoring using Mixed-Initiative Composition, Proc ACM Multimedia 2007, 228-237 [19%]. http://dx.doi.org/110.1145/1291233.1291282
Koh, E., Kerne, A., combinFormation: Exploring Multiple Searches Together through the Mixed-Initiative Composition Space, CHI 2007 Workshop on Exploratory Search and HCI, San Jose, California [24%].
Webb, A., A Transitory Interface Component for the In-Context Visualization and Adjustment of a Value , M.S. thesis, Texas A&M University, August 2007.
Kerne, A., Koh, E., Dworaczyk, B., Mistrot, J.M., Choi, H., Smith, S., Graeber, R., Caruso, D., Webb, A., Hill, R., Albea, J., combinFormation: A Mixed-Initiative System for Representing Collections as Compositions of Image and Text Surrogates,
Proc Joint ACM/IEEE Conf. on Digital Libraries (JCDL) 2006, 11-20 [23%]. http://dx.doi.org/110.1145/1141753.1141756
Kerne, A., Koh, E., Choi, H., Dworaczyk, B., Smith, S.M., Hill, R., Albea, J., Supporting Creative Learning Experience with Compositions of Image and Text Surrogates, Proc Ed Media 2006.
Kerne, A., Smith, S.M., Choi, H., Graeber, R., Caruso, D., Evaluating Navigational Surrogate Formats with Divergent Browsing Tasks, Proc CHI 2005 Extended, 1537-1540. http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/1056808.1056960
Kerne, A., Koh, E., Sundaram, V., Mistrot, J.M., Generative semantic clustering in spatial hypertext, Proc ACM Document Engineering (DocEng) 2005, 84-93 [30%]. http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/1096601.1096624
Kerne, A., Mistrot, J.M., Khandelwal, M.,Sundaram, V., Koh, E., Using Composition to Re-Present Personal Collections of Hypersigns, Proc Computational Semiotics in Games and New Media (CoSIGN) 2004, Split, Croatia.
Kerne, A., Smith, S.M., Mistrot, J.M., Sundaram, V., Khandelwal, M., Wang, J., Mapping Interest and Design to Facilitate Creative Process During Mixed-Initiative Information Composition, Proc Interaction: Systems, Practice and Theory, a Creativity & Cognition Symposium, 2004, 1-25.
Kerne, A., Sundaram, V., A Recombinant Information Space, Proc Computational Semiotics in Games and New Media (CoSIGN) 2003, 48-57.
Karadkar, U.P., Kerne, A., Furuta, R., Francisco-Revilla, L., Shipman, F., Wang, J., Connecting Interface Metaphors to Support Creation of Hypermedia Collections, Proc European Conf Digital Libraries 2003 (ECDL), 338-349 [29%].
Khandelwal, M., Kerne, A., Mistrot, J.M., Manipulating History in Generative Hypermedia, Proc ACM Multimedia 2003, 139-140.
Kerne, A., Sundaram, V., Wang, J., Khandelwal, M., Mistrot, J.M., Human + Agent: Creating Recombinant Information, Proc ACM Multimedia 2003, 454-455.
Kerne, A., Khandelwal, M., Sundaram, V., Publishing Evolving Metadocuments on the Web. Proc ACM Hypertext 2003, 104-105.
Kerne, A., Concept-Context-Design: A Creative Model for the Development of Interactivity. Proc ACM Creativity and Cognition 2002, 192-199. http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/581710.581739
Kerne, A., CollageMachine: A Model of "Interface Ecology". NYU Ph.D. Dissertation. April 2001.
Kerne, A., Open Processes Create Open Products: Interface Ecology As A Metadisciplinary Base For CollageMachine. Proc SIGGRAPH 2001: Abstracts and Applications, 239.
Kerne, A., CollageMachine: Interest-Driven Browsing Through Streaming Collage. Proc Cast01: Living in Mixed Realities. Bonn, Germany, 241-244.
Kerne, A., CollageMachine: An Interactive Agent of Web Recombination, Leonardo 33:5, 2000.
Kerne, A., CollageMachine: Temporality and Indeterminacy in Media Browsing via Interface Ecology. Proc CHI 1997: Extended, 297-298.