Territory as Interface
I really enjoyed Longford’s piece. I found his questions on “making place” to be especially generative in creating an immersive mobile experience. Considering the “sensory experience” of place is a great point of departure in creating mobile experiences as it is a consideration of the essence of a place. The mobile experiences that are the most successful enhance the location rather than distract from it. The ability to interact with the subway underneath a park in Montreal through a sound tunnel that corresponds with the route is a creative way to offer awareness of the construction of the park and city. While I enjoyed the principle of the Ouija board project, I found the idea of summoning the past through technology to be especially interesting. My personal research is concerned with the changing landscape of the city, and uncovering the history of spaces- their use and purpose. To imagine a mobile experience that uncovers these “ghosts” – the ability to immerse oneself in history of the city- similar to the project in Chicago we discussed last week- would be incredible. Rather than distract the user from inhabited spaces with fictional narratives or status updates, these experiences would offer a deeper engagement with physical landscapes.
A recent development in interactive media was released in New York’s Metro with interactive subway maps. Take a look:
http://gizmodo.com/nycs-touchscreen-subway-maps-are-finally-here-and-the-1520953121/@sarah-hedgecock
Like you I also found the projects that Longford discusses interesting. As someone very interested in history I like the idea of connecting a users to a physical space through time in a way that surpasses the singular use of archival photographs. This idea of giving voice to long since departed inhabitants (such as the nuns) creates a new way of understanding a physical location. If this idea was ever created over long periods of time it could really tie the energy of physical spaces to human spirit and culture.
On another note (and I only briefly examined the NY subway hyperlink and video) it seems that the transit authority has co-opted the technology of google maps and not much else. Then again maybe I missed something?
This interactive map is amazing. I am obsessed with efficient travel. I dream of the days when Rocket Man will tell me what my quickest route to York will be. There has to be something better than the Ossington bus!
The New York subway seems to have co-opted google maps, but, it seems to me that the project is less about the technology and more about the location. I often find myself underground only to realize that I have no idea where I’m going and, if one of the open-air stations isn’t in my path, I am out of luck. I don’t know how well this way of thinking relates to AR, but it’s a bit like the payphones in the subway stations; they’re mostly for emergency necessity.