The Collaborative Canvas – A Space for Ideas and Debates

Students: Rebekka Waters, Sara Kaurin, Abhishek Blesson Alex, Beyza Köroglu, Anna Okhrimenko, Lorenz Andexer, Katerina Suchankova, Valerie Mauerhofer

Project Description:

For a transmedia gathering, a table was developed as part of our research into traditional teahouse ceremonies, furniture from Bene, the Austrian Parliament, and digital gathering platforms such as Gather, Discord, and CryptoVoxels. 

The prototype aimed to seamlessly connect digital participants via Discord and Miro with those physically present at the gathering table. To facilitate engagement, we projected a courtyard plan onto the debate table, incorporated interactive objects, and provided guiding questions to structure the conversation. 

Inspired by teahouse ceremonies, we introduced textile elements to create non-verbal cues, such as curtains that signaled the beginning and end of debates. The prototype was designed to support scalability, and in this initial iteration, it was tested within an institutional setting at our university.