Title: The art of eco-nudging: interactive digital art as didactic agents of change in the built environment

Authors: Carmela Cucuzzella; Sherif Goubran; Firdous Nizar

Addresses: Concordia University Research Chair in Integrated Design and Sustainability for the Built Environment, Founding Co-director of Next Generation Cities Institute, Concordia University, Montréal, Canada ' Department of Architecture, School of Science and Engineering, The American University in Cairo AUC Avenue, P.O. Box 74, New Cairo 11835, Egypt ' School of Graduate Studies, Concordia University, 1455 De Maisonneuve Blvd. W. Montreal, QC, H3G 1M8, Canada

Abstract: It is impossible to ignore the damage humankind has caused to the environment. Most of the destruction, however, remains beyond individuals' direct control and is caused by the prevailing modes of consumption and production. Imagery has been instrumental in communicating the environmental degradation caused by human activity, many of which have mostly relied on techno-scientific visualisations. In this paper, we are exploring eco-art as a promising public enlightenment strategy for enabling specific actions. This paper describes the outcome of an experiment focused on "econudging" (i.e., bridging the gap between environmental awareness and action). Can interactive experiences with digital art shift participants' behavioural choices toward the optimisation of their interior spaces' environmental settings? If so, how? With this experiment, we highlight the significance of daily technological companionship through digital eco-art as a research field for exploring how to better inform and activate human eco-behaviour.

Keywords: environmental art; eco-art; eco-art and design; eco-didacticism; eco-awareness; eco-action; companionship; human-building interaction; human-building interfaces; energy-actions.

DOI: 10.1504/IJISD.2025.147005

International Journal of Innovation and Sustainable Development, 2025 Vol.19 No.4, pp.422 - 442

Received: 31 May 2022
Accepted: 20 Feb 2023
Published online: 10 Jul 2025 *

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