Real-Time Cities: an Introduction to Urban Cybernetics Harvard Design School: SCI 0646900

1. TIFFANY CHEN Exercise #3: Case Studies in Data Analysis (5 Ways to Make a Story out of Numbers) Real-Time Cities: an Introduction to Urban Cybernetics Harvard Design School: SCI 0646900 Spring 2014

2. PUBLIC ARTIFACTS In an urban environment today where there is often a disconnect between the individual and the mass (the public), there is a need to find contextual mediators that allow stimulate new interactions. With the following case studies, the concept of harnessing public space is explored through existing urban artifacts and infrastructures that are retrofitted to initiate new forms of public engagement. 1 | DEAD DROP 2 | BINOCULARS TO...BINOCULARS FROM… 3 | PUPPET MASTER 4 | TRANSEUROPE SLOW 5 | BIG SMART STREETS

3. 1 | DEAD DROP Dead drops is an anonymous, offline, peer-to-peer file sharing network in public spaces, and an interactive installation responding to the era of growing clouds. It proposes the need to rethink the freedom and distribution of data. http://vimeo.com/46480638

4. 1 | DEAD DROP Which of the 10 possible categories of scenarios the Project belongs to? VIII. Environments, architectural spaces, and smart artifacts that solicit people’s needs and desires that they sense via direct input from the inhabitants. Which sensing technology/ types of sensors are deployed to implement spatial gaze? How the performance of the piece/installation is conditioned? Active USB port Conditioned by location of public space.

5. 1 | DEAD DROP Which actuation technology is used to provide for dynamism of the piece? The USB is the main form of technology which promotes a new dynamic form of data transfer What connectivity technology is used to connect different parts of the informatically driven system at question? Is the system operates based on a memory of the past and/or anticipation of the future through recognition of past patterns? The USB living within city walls symbolizes the city as the connective “cloud.” The system operates on a memory of the past via files stored on the USB instances.

6. 1 | DEAD DROP What is the extreme vision of the scenario? This project presents the extreme vision of an urban offline file transfer network and ultimately proposes that “being urban is being online.” Why is the project significant? This project is significant because it juxtaposes cloud based ephemeral nature of data transfer, with the very tangible artifacts of urban public space. In an era of growing clouds, one needs to rethink the freedom and distribution of data. 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 the concept of freeing digital data into the urban environment. The ‘low tech’ nature of this intervention implies and initiates a change in urban behavior and prompts individuals to interact with the brick and mortar of the city they live in.

7. 1 | DEAD DROP What challenges are inherent in deployment of the project or maintaining the integrity or level of operation of the system in the long run? Some challenges would include the file maintenance on each USB instance as well as the technological deterioration of the USB itself due to weather and being out in the elements. What is your evaluation of the design of the physical manifestation of the system in terms of its esthetics? The design is very minimalist and is meant to “be hardly noticeable,” which I find very interesting juxtaposed against the rough and often gritty urban textures of the walls these USB’s are embedded in. 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 perhaps be scaled up to include more USB nodes and really create and urban network. A scaled up intervention would definitely initiate more visible public interactions and perhaps demonstrate more interactive capabilities.

8. 1 | DEAD DROP How the system will deal with nodal or total failure in operation? Since each USB is a single instance, there would be no nodal failure. What is the system’s logic of operation and information flow/architecture? The system’s logic of operation is one simply to create a new digital sharing network within and urban environment. Users must tangibly interact with the USB and leave their files for the next individual. 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 project itself does not exhibit a nature of actuation, however, it shows an infrastructural backbone that promotes public behavioral change and clearly acts as initiator of new public interactions.

9. 2 | BINOCULARS TO...BINOCULARS FROM… Binoculars To…Binoculars From… is an installation that aims to visually connect cities and confronts issues of extended surveillance. People looking into the binoculars see not the scene physically in front of them, but instead are transported to a different site. The duality of time and space within a “real-time window” is an important concept of this installation. http://vimeo.com/75604756

10. 2 | BINOCULARS TO...BINOCULARS FROM…

11. 2 | BINOCULARS TO...BINOCULARS FROM… Which of the 10 possible categories of scenarios the Project belongs to? V. Where the space is created around a piece that one of the audience interacts with, while others maintain the persona of spectators. Which sensing technology/ types of sensors are deployed to impliment spatial gaze? Custom-made Binoculars, computer, screen, web camera, distance sensor, Arduino, custom-made software How the performance of the piece/instalation is conditioned? The performance is conditioned by the public space the binoculars live in, and the ones they peer into.

12. 2 | BINOCULARS TO...BINOCULARS FROM… Which actuation technology is used to provide for dynamism of the piece? Arduino, web camera, distance sensor What connectivity technology is used to connect different parts of the informatically driven system at question? Web camera 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 in anticipates of the future through recognition of past patterns in voyeurism.

13. 2 | BINOCULARS TO...BINOCULARS FROM… What is the extreme vision of the scenario? The extreme vision is allow people to be voyeurs into the public space of another location. Why is the project significant? The project is significant because the artists are concerned with new forms of art, and in particular the playfulness of expression, which technology can provide within the public space context. What do you identify as a poetic aspect to the logic of operation of the system at question? The opening of a real-time window is not unidirectional. When looking into the binoculars the viewer’s eye is captured and shown on an urban screen at the observed place. Therefore, the inhabitants of the other connected city will see the huge scale, searching eye peering down.

14. 2 | BINOCULARS TO...BINOCULARS FROM… 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 maintenance of the installed binoculars. What is your evaluation of the design of the physical manifestation of the system in terms of its esthetics? The binoculars function as an urban artifact and are aesthetically prominent. The large screen with the projected eye could perhaps be more integrated into the architectural condition of the public space. 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 be scaled down to create a more intimate connection between the viewer and those being viewed.

15. 2 | BINOCULARS TO...BINOCULARS FROM… How the system will deal with nodal or total failure in operation? The custom-made software would be adjusted to fix any operational failures. What is the system’s logic of operation and information flow/architecture? The system only allows one end of the installation to be an active participant. Those who are being viewed sense the system, however, do not have any direct impact on the output of the overall operation. 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 explores actuation via web cameras and distance sensors, so that when a viewer’s eye is close enough to the binoculars it is then captured and projected onto the digital urban screen.

16. 3 | PUPPET MASTER Puppet Master is an artistic digital installation for public collective spaces and comments on the passive ubiquity of billboards in urban spaces today. Through the use of a camera and digital façade, the user is able to activate a set of visual tools to playfully interact with people on the street. Project Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MSnD4DrUwo

17. 3 | PUPPET MASTER Which of the 10 possible categories of scenarios the Project belongs to? IX. Environments that are digitally enhanced so that they act as mediators of fleeting social encounters amongst their inhabitants Which sensing technology/ types of sensors are deployed to impliment spatial gaze? Media façade, internet ready computers, and camera that can be accessed in real-time How the performance of the piece/instalation is conditioned? The installation is conditioned by the public space it is installed in.

18. 3 | PUPPET MASTER Which actuation technology is used to provide for dynamism of the piece? Real-Time Camera What connectivity technology is used to connect different parts of the informatically driven system at question? Real-Time Camera connected to a computer, which feeds visualizations to a media façade. 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 based on both a past “public” memory and anticipated future action.

19. 3 | PUPPET MASTER What is the extreme vision of the scenario? The installation is designed to promote a game-like communication between Master and Puppets Why is the project significant? As media facades and digital billboards are becoming ubiquitous around the world, this project confronts the issue that most of these facades are passive and tend to be controlled at a distance. Content change is always done without public notice. This installation explores new communication dynamics in public spaces by allowing viewers to become active participants in the generation of their public experience. What do you identify as a poetic aspect to the logic of operation of the system at question? The Puppet Master aims to create a new interaction system between public and private space. By defining two roles, one for those located in front of the screen and one for people who can control the digital medium (using phones and tablets), the installation fosters interaction between both digital and physical worlds.

20. 3 | PUPPET MASTER What challenges are inherent in deployment of the project or maintaining the integrity or level of operation of the system in the long run? Maintaining a constant population of “Puppet Masters” who generate the interaction could be a potential problem. What is your evaluation of the design of the physical manifestation of the system in terms of its esthetics? The installation aesthetics are very simple and the digital interactions allude to 8-bit games, which very clearly implies the gamification of the public space. 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 perhaps be scaled up to include interaction between multiple public spaces being “controlled” by multiple puppet masters.

21. 3 | PUPPET MASTER How the system will deal with nodal or total failure in operation? Failure would include camera inconnectivity with the media façade technologies What is the system’s logic of operation and information flow/architecture? Real-time cameras feed images to a computer which overlays puppet master “commands,” which is then outputted as a digital image on the digital public screen. 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 realized through indoor and outdoor users (puppet masters) who can manipulate the digital facades using their handheld devices. By using text messages, drawing canvases, and overlaying images, the users can augment reality and the users inhabiting the public space, such as cloning or moving individuals.

22. 4 | TRANSEUROPE SLOW TransEurope Slow is an installation that negotiates the concept of speed and “place” in modern cities. By simulating a cyclist’s journey, the installation ultimately tells a story on finding places that can only be visited independently from the high speed modes of transportation now so prevalent in Europe. http://www.arte.tv/arte_vp/index.php?json_url=http://creative.arte.tv/de/scald_apios_json/88036&lang=de_DE&config=arte_creative&embed=1#.UxFt8_ldWyE

23. 4 | TRANSEUROPE SLOW Which of the 10 possible categories of scenarios the Project belongs to? VIII. Architectural spaces and small artifacts that solicit people’s needs and desires that they sense via direct input. Which sensing technology/ types of sensors are deployed to impliment spatial gaze? Hacked bicycle pedals, urban screen, computer with internet access, custom software. How the performance of the piece/instalation is conditioned? The installation is conditioned by the nature of the park bench and mechanics of the bicycle pedals.

24. 4 | TRANSEUROPE SLOW Which actuation technology is used to provide for dynamism of the piece? Park bench with bicycle pedals that are hacked with custom software to interact with an urban screen. What connectivity technology is used to connect different parts of the informatically driven system at question? Computer and hacked bicycle pedals. 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 based on a memory of the past, and hopes to change future behavior.

25. 4 | TRANSEUROPE SLOW What is the extreme vision of the scenario? TransEurope Slow proposes a collective exploration of cities in order to locate places that tell different stories. Why is the project significant? As a cyclist it is easy to connect with peripheral locations in the city and discover alternative routes with hidden streets. What do you identify as a poetic aspect to the logic of operation of the system at question? Bikes slow down the normal pace of urban exploration and allow hidden, distant areas of the city to become visible and accessible.

26. 4 | TRANSEUROPE SLOW What challenges are inherent in deployment of the project or maintaining the integrity or level of operation of the system in the long run? Syncing the mechanics of the bicycle pedals with the acceleration and movement of images on the urban screen. What is your evaluation of the design of the physical manifestation of the system in terms of its esthetics? This installation is a creative and intuitively designed intervention that links transportation and place. 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 perhaps be scaled up to include more “riders” of the hacked bicycle in order to create a larger network of “places” explored and discovered.

27. 4 | TRANSEUROPE SLOW How the system will deal with nodal or total failure in operation? As an individual installation, the system does not have to deal with nodal failure. What is the system’s logic of operation and information flow/architecture? The system has a very linear logic of operation; when the user begins riding the urban screen beings to show video of explored places. 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 this installation is linked to the mechanics of the hacked bicycle pedals. It also touches on our sense of time, acceleration, and motion in general. Ultimately it provides a very insightful commentary on how transportation transforms our perception of time and space.

28. 5 | BIG SMART STREETS BIG’s vision of future urban mobility for Design Miami 2011 introduced a city paved with a digital surface that liberates streets from existing boundaries and allows for a new flexibility of public use. With the use of a 3DLED installation, BIG provided viewers with a glimpse of the future city where public space is shared with pedestrians and driverless cars http://vimeo.com/14809854

29. 5 | BIG SMART STREETS

30. 2 | BINOCULARS TO...BINOCULARS FROM… Which of the 10 possible categories of scenarios the Project belongs to? X. Environments and architectural spaces that are endowed with a limited amount of consciousness about their immediate circumstances and the processes contained within them so that they are capable of adapting to new environmental conditions. Which sensing technology/ types of sensors are deployed to impliment spatial gaze? 3d cameras and LED panels. How the performance of the piece/instalation is conditioned? The installation is conditioned by the car and interior dimensions of the installation space.

31. 5 | BIG SMART STREETS Which actuation technology is used to provide for dynamism of the piece? 3d cameras track the movement of passers-by processing the data into a generative artwork that feeds back into the LED panels. What connectivity technology is used to connect different parts of the informatically driven system at question? 3d cameras and 3d tracking software. 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 in anticipation of future behavior through recognition of past patterns.

32. 5 | BIG SMART STREETS What is the extreme vision of the scenario? The entire surface of future city streets would be infused with a continuous flow of information allowing for real-time interaction between vehicles and their environment. Why is the project significant? This pavilion installation renders visible the invisible forces that flow through a city. The installation was created in response to the idea of a Driverless City. What do you identify as a poetic aspect to the logic of operation of the system at question? The result of this installation is an architecture of movement whose forms are not predetermined by the designer, but are constantly recomposed by the people populating the surface.

33. 5 | BIG SMART STREETS 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 syncing of real-time 3d movements with 2d visualizations that must be processed and accurately represented on the LED surface What is your evaluation of the design of the physical manifestation of the system in terms of its esthetics? The LED panels are very aesthetically power, however, the resolution of the 3d sensing represented by changes in color could perhaps have been shown in higher resolution. 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 perhaps be scaled up to test the concept of a driverless city in an urban plaza or public space.

34. 5 | BIG SMART STREETS How the system will deal with nodal or total failure in operation? Creating higher resolution 3d camera tracking could help reduce nodal failure in operation. What is the system’s logic of operation and information flow/architecture? Installed 3d cameras track movements on site. The data is then processed into a generative artwork that feeds back into the LED panels on the surface. 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 car continuously emits arrows showing its future path and leaves a trace of its past track on the LED surface behind it. Every single movement is traced allowing for the increase of social interaction, and if several people meet, a cloud entity is created on the LED panels.