New Materials = New Expressive Powers: Smart Material Interfaces and Arts, an Interactive Experience Made Possible Thanks to Smart Materials

It is not easy for a growing artist to find his poetry. Smart materials could be an answer for those who are looking for new forms of art. Smart Material Interfaces (SMI) define a new interaction paradigm based on dynamic modifications of the innovative materials’ properties. SMI can be applied in different domains and used for different purposes; functional, communicative and creative. In this paper we focus on experimenting in the art and creative communication domain. In particular we describe the results of a workshop held with 15 students of the Fine Arts Academy in Venice who learned how to make and pro- gram SMI and took advantage of their new skills to design a variety of interesting creative artifacts.