Repurposing items as interactive installations.

Hypothesis: Certain items will work better than others when repurposing into controllers.

Objects tested: soft toys, toy phone, half car, ikea furniture, sex toys, wooden pallet, more.

Results: The most useful question to ask of an item in this experiment is “would its normal use be described as playing?” With objects returning a positive, such as soft toys, the engagement is comfortable but not overly exciting or interesting. This can be explained as the player being used to playing with this object, maybe not in this context or with electrical connections, but conceptually they are not going against the grain.

For the other objects the story is not so simple. It seems the less a person is permitted to play with an object the more impactful its repurposing becomes. While people may not play with ikea furniture, they aren’t precious items, and people are often permitted to move or modify them. A car, however, is a very serious item which is often kept far away from the realm of play, and for good reason. Even as a stationary object, cars are expensive and delicate, and crashes can be deadly. By repurposing this serious item into a playground, players of all ages delight in small, forbidden interactions like slamming the doors or adjusting the mirrors. The interaction becomes hugely important to the piece, as evident by the V&A physically shipping the work to London for exhibition.

Note: The idea of play here is contextual. The major example of this being sex toys. Its normal use might well be described as playing, but in a public context that becomes very taboo. Therefore repurposing sex toys as controllers can create a very special experience, however that taboo is very strong, so it may reduce engagement depending on the context.

Conclusion: Besides the mechanical difficulties with repurposing items for use as controllers, consideration should be put into the previous use of the object. An object that is commonly forbidden to be played with can elicit an amazing response from players, provided the space surrounding the work is encouraging and safe. Keep in mind that when players commit to using the item in this new way, they can easily and accidentally break, especially if not designed for heavy use. With the right considerations, repurposed items can be an amazing attractant for new audiences and a great memorable experience.