We present an approach to more sustainable organising and facilitating of data physicalization workshops, via the creation of the ZeroWaste PhysKit — a data physicalization kit that can be used across multiple workshops without either loss of materials or the production of waste. We outline the practices we employed in the creation of the kit, which constitute a novel approach to sustainable physicalization, as well as reflections based on three case studies, to prompt discussion and facilitate replication and iteration by other practitioners and researchers.

Data physicalizations have gained prominence across domains, but their environmental impact has been largely overlooked. This work addresses this gap by investigating the interplay between sustainability and physicalization practices. We conducted interviews with experts from diverse backgrounds, followed by a survey to gather insights into how they approach physicalization projects and reflect on sustainability. Our thematic analysis revealed sustainability considerations throughout the entire physicalization life cycle—a framework that encompasses various stages in a physicalization’s existence. Notably, we found no single agreed-upon definition for sustainable physicalizations, highlighting the complexity of integrating sustainability into physicalization practices. We outline sustainability challenges and strategies based on participants’ experiences and propose the Sustainable Physicalization Practices (SuPPra) Matrix, providing a structured approach for designers to reflect on and enhance the environmental impact of their future physicalizations.

Against the backdrop of a climate crisis, HCI researchers and designers are reflecting upon, reconsidering, and re-imagining the work that we do through the lens of sustainability. In this Studio, we propose to adopt this critical perspective to Sustainable HCI through an examination and reflection on the environmental impact of research conferences. Our Studio builds upon our prior work that explored sustainable methods and toolkits for facilitating data physicalization workshops. We apply the tools and strategies developed through this prior work within a Studio in which participants are facilitated to engage with, reflect upon, and create with data relating to the sustainability of HCI conferences such as Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interaction (TEI). Through the creation of data artefacts that can be displayed, worn, or shared throughout the conference beyond the Studio, we aim to spark wider conversations about the environmental sustainability of TEI2024, as well as HCI conferences more generally.

In this paper we present TaraScope, a multimodal installation that enables student groups, participating in workshops at a Space Observatory in Ireland, to remotely manipulate and capture images from a robotic telescope situated in San Francisco, California. This project is developed as part of an international initiative between Blackrock Castle Observatory (BCO), Ireland and Chabot Space & Science Center, California, with the aim of connecting the two locations while also stimulating interest in astronomy, science, technology, engineering and math. We describe the design rationale and implementation of the installation, which is based on creating an inviting, apprehendable, inexpensive and engaging system that supports inquiry-led learning and group interactions. Furthermore, we present several initial observations on the user experience of the system that we gathered through a series of evaluations that we conducted at the Observatory.