1. Real-Time Cities: an Introduction to Urban Cybernetics Harvard Design School: SCI 0646900 Spring 2014 Kalisha Holmes Exercise #3: Case Studies in Data-Driven Actuation

2. Interactive Art as City Art can be a powerful tool of expression regardless of its format, but public art that makes use of large public spaces, and that enables interaction with tihe inhabitants of a city plays a unique role in articulating a common interpretation of reality or a shared set of values. Through interacting, citizens are contributing to and at the same time being shaped by a shared community experience. I am using this week’s case studies to explore interesting ways that art has served that purpose of collective shaping of values. 1 | Congregation – Market Square (Pittsburgh) Public Art 2 | Digital Water Pavilion (Zaragoza, Spain) 3 | Piano Stairs (Volkswagen) – Stockholm, Sweden 4 | Scene Near Me 5 | N Building (Tokyo)

3. This project is an interactive light and sound public art spectacle on display in Pittsburgh. Every night at dusk, heat sensors detect motion and then project changing light displays into the square. Project Video: http://vimeo.com/85184448 1 | Congregation – Market Square (Pittsburgh) Public Art

5. Which of the 10 possible categories of scenarios the Project belongs to? IV. The space is created around the designer’s concept, and the audience interacts with it Which sensing technology/ types of sensors are deployed to impliment spatial gaze? The project uses heat sensors to detect movement through the light. How the performance of the piece/instalation is conditioned? The piece is completely conditioned by human interaction with it. 1 | Congregation – Market Square (Pittsburgh) Public Art

6. Which actuation technology is used to provide for dynamism of the piece? Light-emitting agents. What connectivity technology is used to connect different parts of the informatically driven system at question? It’s unclear what connectivity technology is being used. Is the system operates based on a memory of the past and/or anticipation of the future through recognition of past patterns? No, the system is a dynamic and interactive light show, so has no need of retaining a “memory”. 1 | Congregation – Market Square (Pittsburgh) Public Art

7. What is the extreme vision of the scenario? Perhaps the extreme vision of a project such as this would be to implement similar projects throughout cities everywhere. Why is the project significant? The project is significant because it is transforming a public space into an interactive space allowing for the development of a community among strangers in a city. What do you identify as a poetic aspect to the logic of operation of the system at question? The poetic aspect of this project is that it can allow strangers to coordinate their physical motions, and essentially dance with each other in an otherwise indifferent space. 1 | Congregation – Market Square (Pittsburgh) Public Art

8. What challenges are inherent in deployment of the project or maintaining the integrity or level of operation of the system in the long run? None. The project is intended to be a temporary project so that the novelty does not wear off. What is your evaluation of the design of the physical manifestation of the system in terms of its esthetics? It is aesthetically beautiful. How can the system scale up or down to fit a different context of operation? How can its logic of operation or technology be re-appropriated for the different context? The system can easily scale up to different types of interactive public art throughout cities. It’s logic could also be used to engage other sensory applications. 1 | Congregation – Market Square (Pittsburgh) Public Art

9. How the system will deal with nodal or total failure in operation? I am not sure. There is not enough information. What is the system’s logic of operation and information flow/architecture? The system uses human motion as its input and then outputs unique light configurations. The sound aspect is pre- configured. What is the nature of actuation explored by the system? Does it explore generation of change that is registred through other senses beyond vision? The actuation is both visual and sound-based, but only the visual aspect is dynamic and interactive. 1 | Congregation – Market Square (Pittsburgh) Public Art

10. This project is an interactive water curtain display, controlled digitally. Each water wall can shift based on how many individuals are present in the exhibit at a given time. The only material items present are two boxes and a roof, while the water acts as a third architectural element. Project Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5pw354oHIM 2 | Digital Water Pavilion (Zaragoza, Spain)

12. Which of the 10 possible categories of scenarios the Project belongs to? IV. The space is created around the designer’s concept, and the audience interacts with it Which sensing technology types of sensors are deployed to impliment spatial gaze? The project uses input from sensors to dynamically respond to atmospheric changes. How the performance of the piece/instalation is conditioned? The piece can be pre-programmed to display specific words or open entrances, but it can also respond to sensory inputs. 2 | Digital Water Pavilion (Zaragoza, Spain)

13. Which actuation technology is used to provide for dynamism of the piece? Movement-initiating agents which creates dynamic water movement. What connectivity technology is used to connect different parts of the informatically driven system at question? The connectivity technology is open- source software that connects sensors, pipes and digital programming. Is the system operates based on a memory of the past and/or anticipation of the future through recognition of past patterns? This system operates partly on anticipation of the future through recognition of past patterns, but the possibilities for how it responds are completely open. 2 | Digital Water Pavilion (Zaragoza, Spain)

14. What is the extreme vision of the scenario? The extreme vision of this scenario would be to create completely dynamic architectural spaces that were always fluid and changing rather than static concrete objects. Why is the project significant? This project is an example of what is possible with non-traditional architectural “objects” and what type of structures you can create with new materials, such as controlling the flow of water. What do you identify as a poetic aspect to the logic of operation of the system at question? This project is poetic because humans have always been fascinated by water and the possibilities it represents while at the same time always struggling to control it. This project represents a significant advance in the way we control the movement of water and incorporate it into our lived lives. 2 | Digital Water Pavilion (Zaragoza, Spain)

15. What challenges are inherent in deployment of the project or maintaining the integrity or level of operation of the system in the long run? The project seems costly and novel in its current form, but it may be adapted in the future to serve more useful purposes. What is your evaluation of the design of the physical manifestation of the system in terms of its esthetics? This is a very creative way to use water. It is beautiful. How can the system scale up or down to fit a different context of operation? How can its logic of operation or technology be re-appropriated for the different context? I think this project could be adapted to many other contexts with the same underlying logic of operation. 2 | Digital Water Pavilion (Zaragoza, Spain)

16. How the system will deal with nodal or total failure in operation? I am not sure. There is not enough information. What is the system’s logic of operation and information flow/architecture? The system’s logic of operation uses computer code to program the physical movement of water. What is the nature of actuation explored by the system? Does it explore generation of change that is registred through other senses beyond vision? The actuation of change is primarily visual, but could also incorporate hearing senses. 2 | Digital Water Pavilion (Zaragoza, Spain)

17. The Piano Stairs was an attempt by Volkswagen to increase the number of citizens who take the stairs instead of the escalator by making it fun. Project Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIVLMRKZ6nY 3 | Piano Stairs (Volkswagen) – Stockholm, Sweden

19. Which of the 10 possible categories of scenarios the Project belongs to? X!. Environments, architectural spaces, and smart artifacts that solicit people’s needs via direct input and act as mediators for a fleeting and fearless encounter among inhabitants. Which sensing technology types of sensors are deployed to impliment spatial gaze? The project uses pressure sensors. How the performance of the piece/instalation is conditioned? The piece is conditioned, so that a musical note will emit when a sensor senses pressure. 3 | Piano Stairs (Volkswagen) – Stockholm, Sweden

20. Which actuation technology is used to provide for dynamism of the piece? Sound-creating agents. What connectivity technology is used to connect different parts of the informatically driven system at question? I’m not sure about the connectivity technology. Is the system operates based on a memory of the past and/or anticipation of the future through recognition of past patterns? Neither. It is completely dynamic and has no memory function. 3 | Piano Stairs (Volkswagen) – Stockholm, Sweden

21. What is the extreme vision of the scenario? We could transform all of our architectural spaces in cities into sensory actuators. Why is the project significant? This project was very effective in changing public behavior towards a healthier practice by making a mundane daily activity, an interactive and fun activity. What do you identify as a poetic aspect to the logic of operation of the system at question? The project is poetic in its simplicity and simultaneous effectiveness. The best ideas, also tend to be the simplest, and its genius in its simplicity. 3 | Piano Stairs (Volkswagen) – Stockholm, Sweden

22. What challenges are inherent in deployment of the project or maintaining the integrity or level of operation of the system in the long run? In the long-run, users may get tired of the noise emitted from the staircase and revert to the previous unwanted behavior. What is your evaluation of the design of the physical manifestation of the system in terms of its esthetics? I think that this project could be enhanced to be more aesthetically pleasing to the eye. In its current state, it’s very bland. How can the system scale up or down to fit a different context of operation? How can its logic of operation or technology be re-appropriated for the different context? The system could easily scale up due to its low-cost and ease of installation. 3 | Piano Stairs (Volkswagen) – Stockholm, Sweden

23. How the system will deal with nodal or total failure in operation? I am not sure. There is not enough information. What is the system’s logic of operation and information flow/architecture? The logic of operation is extremely simple. Pressure emits a sound. What is the nature of actuation explored by the system? Does it explore generation of change that is registred through other senses beyond vision? The actuation explored by the system primarily engages the hearing senses, but could also be adapted to engage visual senses as well. 3 | Piano Stairs (Volkswagen) – Stockholm, Sweden

24. Scene Near Me is an app developed during New York City’s Big App Challenge. This app alerts you when you are near famous NYC film scenes. You can also integrate it with Foursquare to automatically inform you when you are near famous scenes. Project Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYZbPQo8BoA 4 | Scene Near Me

26. Which of the 10 possible categories of scenarios the Project belongs to? VII. The space is created in the terrain of connections between wireless devices. Which sensing technology types of sensors are deployed to impliment spatial gaze? The project uses geo-locative services through wifi connections. How the performance of the piece/instalation is conditioned? The piece is installed by downloading a phone application. 4 | Scene Near Me

27. Which actuation technology is used to provide for dynamism of the piece? The personal handheld device is the actuation technology. What connectivity technology is used to connect different parts of the informatically driven system at question? I’m not sure about the connectivity technology. Is the system operates based on a memory of the past and/or anticipation of the future through recognition of past patterns? The system operates completely based on a static memory of the past. 4 | Scene Near Me

28. What is the extreme vision of the scenario? Every city has a physical as well as a digital footprint. The extreme vision of this scenario would be to translate and catalogue all history of cities into smartphone applications. Why is the project significant? The project represents a simple application of knowledge that many consumers have a desire for. What do you identify as a poetic aspect to the logic of operation of the system at question? The logic of the operation, bringing the digital city landscape to life is what makes it poetic. 4 | Scene Near Me

29. What challenges are inherent in deployment of the project or maintaining the integrity or level of operation of the system in the long run? There are no real challenges. What is your evaluation of the design of the physical manifestation of the system in terms of its esthetics? I think the design of the physical application is currently very simplistic and could easily be upgraded to be more aesthetically pleasing. How can the system scale up or down to fit a different context of operation? How can its logic of operation or technology be re-appropriated for the different context? The system can easily scale up to as many cities as possible. The underlying logic is very flexible and can be adapted to other cities just as easily. 4 | Scene Near Me

30. How the system will deal with nodal or total failure in operation? I am not sure. There is not enough information. What is the system’s logic of operation and information flow/architecture? The system simply uses geo-locative services to queue up relevant information from a pre-programmed database. What is the nature of actuation explored by the system? Does it explore generation of change that is registred through other senses beyond vision? The system actuates location to visual information on a smartphone. 4 | Scene Near Me

31. This building in Tokyo transforms a commercial building into a QR code. Then, when you scan the QR code on your phone, the building becomes an interactive digital surface. 5 | N Building (Tokyo) Project Video: http://vimeo.com/8468513

32. 5 | N Building (Tokyo)

33. Which of the 10 possible categories of scenarios the Project belongs to? VII. Wireless devices are used as both input and output materials and locative media. Which sensing technology types of sensors are deployed to impliment spatial gaze? No sensing technology is used. How the performance of the piece/instalation is conditioned? The piece is interactive and static at the same time. 5 | N Building (Tokyo)

34. Which actuation technology is used to provide for dynamism of the piece? Architectural surfaces as digital screens. What connectivity technology is used to connect different parts of the informatically driven system at question? Geo-locative services connect tweets to the building. Is the system operates based on a memory of the past and/or anticipation of the future through recognition of past patterns? The system operates on a memory of the past. 5 | N Building (Tokyo)

35. What is the extreme vision of the scenario? The extreme vision would be to transform all architectural surfaces into digital screens. Why is the project significant? The project takes the idea of architectural surfaces as digital screens a step further by turning the surface into a giant QR code. What do you identify as a poetic aspect to the logic of operation of the system at question? The logic of the operation that uses two-way communication as the logic of the operation. It inputs user activity at the location, then outputs interesting graphics and dynamic interactions there. 5 | N Building (Tokyo)

36. What challenges are inherent in deployment of the project or maintaining the integrity or level of operation of the system in the long run? There are no real challenges. What is your evaluation of the design of the physical manifestation of the system in terms of its esthetics? The physical manifestation is a bit plain because the design is a giant QR code. How can the system scale up or down to fit a different context of operation? How can its logic of operation or technology be re-appropriated for the different context? The logic of operation could be re-appropriated to almost any physical context, and there are no issues with scaling up the design. 5 | N Building (Tokyo)

37. How the system will deal with nodal or total failure in operation? I am not sure. There is not enough information. What is the system’s logic of operation and information flow/architecture? The system inputs user information such as tweets, and pre-programmed information about the shops inside then outputs that information visually on a smartphone device. What is the nature of actuation explored by the system? Does it explore generation of change that is registred through other senses beyond vision? The actuation is primarily visual. 5 | N Building (Tokyo)