Reconfiguring the poster presentation as interactive exchange through dialogical artefact (original) (raw)

It may not be a popular opinion, but for the author, at least, the 'poster presentation' has become the most avoidable aspect of any academic conference or gathering. The reasons for this are threefold and are located in the domains of: aesthetics, content & function, and purpose. To an artist or designer, the posters displayed at such events invariably appear like a layperson's idea of information design which has not been properly conceived nor developed aesthetically, rather, influenced by space available and 'designed' on perhaps the least appropriate software for such tasks. In addition to this they are exceptionally static, inherently unidirectional, and non-dialogical in nature; they are the research equivalent of wallpaper. Finally, they have a questionable purpose, what exactly is their purpose? And by what means they aim to achieve any objectives has never been clear to the author as a trained graphic designer. Furthermore, in the current époque with the technology we have at our disposal and what we are still learning about learner types, cognition, and how individuals receive and process information, they appear all the more moribund. Working against this perspective, the author set about disrupting, reinterpreting and re-configuring the aims, objectives, and final output of the poster presentation. Intending to better reflect the diversity of learners, approaches, and academic disciplines, notably within their own field, and also to provoke wider debate as to the effectiveness and appropriateness of ingrained practices which remain unchallenged over time in academia.