Multimedia, digital media integration and the ‘surface principle’ of symbol-processing machines have changed the strategies of media design and experience. The object is the threefold relation of the technical aspect of integration and interface, the design aspect of the surface, and the cultural aspect of the aesthetic process. Special attention will be paid to the auditory and tactile surfaces, which are often neglected in the discussion of the visual media. The listening space and the knowledge of the body make it clear, especially in teaching, that multimedia is associated with a complex interplay of human perception and construction of meaning in a multisensory and multi-semantic space of experience. Already established surfaces (e.g. the tape metaphor) for HD recording, sequencing, audio editing as well as the examination of experimental surfaces of music painting or interactive installations are objects of this thematic area. Related topics are:

  • Development of sequencer surfaces
  • Digital audio editing, cutting
  • Video dubbing, SMPTE synchronization
  • Construction of simple experimental interfaces (touch and motion sensors)