From Steps to Stories

What can cutting-edge sensor technology teach us about the future of public space? This interactive data art installation invites visitors to explore the fascinating connections between human experience and computer vision under the Gardiner Expressway. Presented in collaboration with Autodesk Research, From Steps to Stories reveals how we can achieve a deeper understanding of how public spaces are experienced.  

As a shared backyard and programming space, the Bentway invites visitors to explore and participate in unique public realm experiences. The way one person feels, understands, and uses space might be very different from that of another, and this perception is a result of a great number of factors. What can cutting-edge sensor technology teach us about the future of public space? 

Human-centered design is a technique that puts real people at the center of the process, enabling the development of design strategies tailored to the needs of visitors. Tools for human-centered design can include public engagement, data collection, environmental sensing, and other technologies that allow for real-time feedback. Through experimenting with these tools, we can uncover how to see and sense public spaces in exciting new ways.  

This November, the Bentway and Autodesk Research invite you to From Steps to Stories, an interactive data art installation that explores the fascinating connections between human experience and computer vision under the Gardiner Expressway. Located at the Bentway Studio (55 Fort York Blvd.), the installation highlights how human-computer interactions can help us achieve a deeper understanding of how public spaces are experienced and navigated.  

From Steps to Stories presents the findings from a series of data collection “walkshops” conducted at the Bentway in summer 2023. During these walks, participants from the local community were equipped with sensors and walked the length of the Bentway. To reveal how participants were experiencing their journeys, the sensors captured individual participants’ interactions, movements, and reactions. Participants were also asked survey and interview questions about their experience of the space.  

Blending qualitative data from participants with quantitative data collected through sensors, From Steps to Stories demonstrates how our lived experiences compare and contrast with the information that technology provides. In the exhibit, you can explore data visualizations that reveal the interconnectivity between human experiences and the built environment using insights provided by modern tools.  

From Steps to Stories sets out to challenge conventional thinking about how we understand the places we inhabit. By combining human experiences with technological perspectives, the project becomes a reflection of our contemporary existence, illustrating the evolving relationship between people, technology, and the environments we shape together.

What to Expect:

• This exhibit is a series of interactive screen-based presentations of cutting-edge space-sensing technology.  
• The Bentway Studio is wheelchair accessible.
• Accessible and all-gender washrooms are available on site.