John Bowers

After an early career in cognitive psychology and computer science, John Bowers has worked jointly as an improvising musician and design-oriented HCI researcher for over 20 years. His monograph Improvising Machines (2003) was an early attempt to bring together ethnographic field research methods, technical design, and artistic reflection into a common practice. His work often combines humour with reflection on foundational commitments in research and artistic fields through a commitment to making his own instruments and software and performing both solo and in improvising ensembles. His most recent work concerns the politics and pedagogy of improvisation as a form of life.