Last week at the Create07 conference, both Michael Smyth and Peter Wright presented a project on intelligent jewelry. It was really interesting to hear how interaction designers and pervasive computing engineers are teaming up with artists and crafts experts to produce delicate objects that are sensitive to their use and able to communicate. In Michael’s project, a close collaboration with jewelry designer Sarah Kettley, various objects were used in an interactive installation were people directed sound scapes and story lines by exploring and manipulating the jewelry. Peter’s project was also a close collaboration with an artist (sorry to say that I have forgotten her name). They developed elegant pendants that recognize each other and exchange experiences collected over a period of time. These projects show that interactive jewelry can offer intimate objects that¬†
evoke personal attachment and narratives.