Big Interactivity

Interesting topic... how do we take interactive media beyond a simple computer screen into the big world of everything else? Now, this is more than just posting huge billboards on the side of a highway or putting graffiti on the wall (well... I guess that depends on how you look at graffiti *grin*). This would be the ability to make fully interactive displays or pieces of art that people could really use and enjoy.

The art world has several examples of this kind of thing. Much of the art by David Rokeby (http://homepage.mac.com/davidrokeby/home.html) involves this type of thing. The electronic artwork ("installations" as he calls them) can capture information from the environment (people, an audience, or just the exhibit on it's own) and then create new art from it. The pieces Taken and n-cha(n)t are excellent examples of this.

Now the question becomes, is it useful or practical? Do people want to interact with art? Traditionally that would be a resounding no... people are easily confused and frightened by the things they they don't understand. Now however we have a whole new generation of people who understand computers and like to find out how things work. They are much more experimental that their forbearers (where technology is concerned at least). Now is a good time to really start to use this kind of thing and push the boundaries of what can be done.

The potential to control the lighting system of an office building and use the windows as "pixels" to display images and messages is amazing. Try text messaging a building and see what you could have. Or sending up photos. I guess in modern times though we would also have to be able to filter some of the "weird stuff" that the mischief inclined may want to post but there is good potential none the less. Could you imagine what you could do with Toronto City Hall?

One Toronto based company, Gesturetek, is implementing large interactive technology for advertising and trade shows. You can check out their work at www.gesturetek.com. In theory I’ll be paying them a visit soon enough to get some of the “inside info”. So you should see something new coming up in my blog for that.

Then there’s always those interested in the military application of large interactive displays which you can read about at http://www.afrlhorizons.com/Briefs/Sept01/IF0012.html


If you want to check out some of the different things going on, try some of these links... you may find something interesting.

http://www.bungalow.ca/greenhouse/
http://www.onefreeminute.net/
http://www.silophone.net/