Mobile Technologies in the Urban Field

Mobile devices are pervasive and an integral part of social rituals and routines. They are now a ubiquitous presence in both public and private places. This symposium represented a shift in scale and focus for a larger research project which considers the design implications of technology in urban spaces. The first part of this project focused on our relationship with technology in domestic space. This was an interdisciplinary collaboration between four researchers at RMIT: Dr Marsha Berry, Dr Jenny Weight, Kate Church and Hugh MacDonald and culminated in the exhibition 'Left to our Own Devices' in December 2008. The Mobile Technologies In The Urban Field Symposium aimed to directly address similar issues beyond the domestic space of the home, to explore the contemporary urban experience. The papers delivered as part of this investigated the design potentials, constraints and complexities of our engagement with technology in the urban environment.