UNCORRECTED PROOF Journal of Visual Languages & Computing Journal of Visual Languages and Computing ] (]]]]) ]]]–]]] Mediators in visual interaction: An analysis of the ‘‘Poietic Generator’’ and ‘‘Open Studio’’ Elisa Giaccardi à Department of Computer Science and Institute of Cognitive Science, Center for LifeLong Learning and Design (L3D), University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0430, USA Received 24 March 2005; accepted 12 April 2005 Abstract The Poietic Generator and Open Studio are examples of interactive art. They are based on distributed applications for visual interaction enabling to collaborate on the creation of visual images and narratives. This paper reports the analysis of the visual activity generated by their users. Such an analysis is founded on the phenomenological hypothesis that the visual activity generated by the participants in the Poietic Generator and Open Studio allows the study of the interaction process in terms of a co-determining relationship between perception and action, that is, at the level of the participants’ cognitive embodiment in visual interaction. The results of this analysis indicate five classes of mediators capable of tuning the development of the interaction process according to the context and the emotional state of the users. These classes are based on: (1) spatial relationships, (2) chromatic relationships, (3) figurative elements, (4) textual elements, and (5) temporal events. By sustaining the intersubjective processing of information among participants, mediators sustain co-creation; that is, they sustain their socially intelligent ability of constructing and sharing meaningful activities. For this reason, mediators are particularly important in the design of social interactive systems that have purposes but not explicit goals (as in the case of art and creative activities in general). r 2005 Published by Elsevier Ltd. 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43 45 ARTICLE IN PRESS www.elsevier.com/locate/jvlc 3B2v8:06a=w ðDec 5 2003Þ:51c XML:ver:5:0:1 YJVLC : 323 Prod:Type:FTP pp:1232ðcol:figs::figs12;422Þ ED:MangalaGowri PAGN:lmn SCAN:global 1045-926X/$ - see front matter r 2005 Published by Elsevier Ltd. doi:10.1016/j.jvlc.2005.04.001 Abbreviations: PG, Poietic Generator; OS, Open Studio à Tel.: +1 303 492 4147; fax: +1 303 492 2844. E-mail address: giaccard@cs.colorado.edu.