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The experiment's setup was the logical consequence from displacement.14’s concept of determining areas of interest, this time returning to a real-space environment much like in displacement.13.
The foyer of the faculty building served as a laboratory for the investigation; we choose only to augment the existing space rather than construct additional material elements.
Following a process of analysing the foyer and determining relevant research questions, we developed a concept of segmenting and augmenting the existing space and installing a variety of interactive and reactive lightzones.
Based on the hypothesis that different light atmospheres would prompt different dwell patterns, the space was divided into 24 sections, each designed with a unique light situation from a predetermined comfort-scale.
The actual course of the experiment was to ask visitors to individually enter and explore the space and to log how the different light effected the length of time subjects spent in the various zones and which zones were therefore of higher, which of lower  interest. Prior to running the experiment our team made predictions about the outcome for every zone, hoping to have made correct educated guesses concerning the attractiveness of respective light situations.
Alongside of wanting to research spatial zones of interest and the assigned characteristics thereof, the experiment lent itself to testing the importance of a (cognitive) counterpart in human perception. The presence of other humans results in primary focus being geared towards those humans; what would happen if not another human but space itself began to establish contact by interacting? On the basis of an effectively homogenous space, albeit augmented with varying light atmospheres, we were able to install such interactive mechanisms. A tracking system, whose dual function of tracking and logging test subjects' movements and positions was used to trigger changes in the lighting of the space. Whenever a subject changed their position, the installation would react and change the light. At the beginning of each episode of the experiment the respective test subject would explore the foyer without any knowledge of their own influence on the situation; prolonged lingering in the foyer was accompanied by a feeling of realisation and prompted a learning effect. Subjects began to play with the system, in essence to communicate with it.
Our predefined comfort-scale proved to be virtually correct, the most tempting zone being located next to our projected number one.
displacement.15 generated valuable data, which our team continues to reap benefits from. A successively growing number of academic papers have been laced with information and impulses received from displacement.15 and plans for the next experiment displacement.16 are currently taking shape.

Lighting

Lighting

Lighting

Lighting

Test subject

Test subject