Thursday, 19 March 2009
Crowd Compiler
Taken from http://www.softhook.com/crowd.htm
Computer software which produces an image of the temporal crowd. Ever since the very first photograph of a crowd was taken in 1848, these images have been controversial for what they purported to show and what they did not show.
Even today, most representations of the crowd aim to rationalise and quantify the crowd rather than show its curious dynamics of both density and fluidity. The Crowd Compiler software tries to present the ‘crowd in time’ rather than a static snapshot.
A fixed camera takes photographs at regular intervals which are then sequentially processed by the software. Using a simple algorithm all the visual changes between the frames are composited and made simultaneously visible.
The resulting images widen our senses to this normally invisible ‘temporal crowd’ which occupies public space. Is this simply a special effect? No, the images carry visual data about the effect of architecture and urban design on group behaviour.
Of equal importance is the fact that the images are created by a process that is legible. The political and technical logic of the representation becomes visible in the image itself rather than being hidden away.
Legibility = Visual data + Social Context + Technical Transparency The Crowd Compiler software operates by comparing each individual pixel between the photographic frame and the back-ground image.
If the colour has changed a significant amount, the new pixel is copied to the background. The process continues until all the photographs have been processed.
Computer software which produces an image of the temporal crowd. Ever since the very first photograph of a crowd was taken in 1848, these images have been controversial for what they purported to show and what they did not show.
Even today, most representations of the crowd aim to rationalise and quantify the crowd rather than show its curious dynamics of both density and fluidity. The Crowd Compiler software tries to present the ‘crowd in time’ rather than a static snapshot.
A fixed camera takes photographs at regular intervals which are then sequentially processed by the software. Using a simple algorithm all the visual changes between the frames are composited and made simultaneously visible.
The resulting images widen our senses to this normally invisible ‘temporal crowd’ which occupies public space. Is this simply a special effect? No, the images carry visual data about the effect of architecture and urban design on group behaviour.
Of equal importance is the fact that the images are created by a process that is legible. The political and technical logic of the representation becomes visible in the image itself rather than being hidden away.
Legibility = Visual data + Social Context + Technical Transparency The Crowd Compiler software operates by comparing each individual pixel between the photographic frame and the back-ground image.
If the colour has changed a significant amount, the new pixel is copied to the background. The process continues until all the photographs have been processed.
Visual Representation of Domestic Space
This is a test of visually representing domestic space through ethnographic studies. The colours will represent a particular activity, ie Red = Mobile Phone Usage, Blue = The physical person, Green = Socialising with friends in a Domestic Space and so on... The length of time they are represented will determine the data.
Visually Representating Data - Ethnographic Studies
This artefact looks at technology and domestic space, it researches how technology can help individuals make more informed decisions about their environment. My first artefact researched Society and Technology, I used a questionnaire to collect data on how often an individual interacts with technology and whether they have ever allowed technology to get in the way of work, studies or face to face socialisation. My results were conclusive and I felt there was no depth to progress further as a result of this. To further understand the developing nature of Technology and Society I have decided to look at ethnographic studies of Domestic Space and Technology.
Creative Networking Workshop at RISD, 2008
One day workshop focusing on the design of large scale networks as a creative activity and expanding the individual's thinking about the network as a creative medium. Starting from simple graph elements participants gradually build diagrams for complex networks. Emphasis on network topology, relationship dynamics, protocols, and information design. Participants learn the most through observing and extracting examples of networks from their daily life, sketching diagrams, and authoring protocols.
Real Time Rome
Real time rome aggregates data from cell phones (obtained using Telecom Italia’s innovative Lochness platform), buses and taxis in Rome to better understand urban dynamics in real time. By revealing the pulse of the city the project aims to show how technology can help individuals make more informed decisions about their environment. In the long run will it be possible to reduce the inefficiencies of present day urban systems and open the way to a more sustainable urban future?
http://senseable.mit.edu/
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