The truth is that we had the same questions so we developed a project based on emergent behavior. Then, to get the picture of what emergent behavior means in our project, let´s think of a self-propelled entities like a "shoal". The shapes that the shoal can perform is not explicitly described by the behavior of the components and rather from the interaction within the components.
The project was coded in openFrameworks openframeworks. The system displays a behavior tricky to predict to shows certain complexity. On the other hand, for the aim of developing an interactive panorama we played with shadow. Actually, we wanted to achieve a reverting behavior to that seen in the wild. In nature it is very likely that the members of a system scatter if someone interferes in it, say a person swimming next a shoal. In contrast, our system would react all the way around so that if the participant interfere the creatures will follow.To achieve this goal we use kinect.
At the end, people can feel more involved with nature if they are part of it. In the interactive shoal project participants are integrated into the system apart from their human being category and rather they see themselves as a shadow that may represent either food or a leader for the creatures.