Dear list,

Sorry for jumping in so late, I am happy that the theme continues, here my
thoughts going through the many posts! Great issues that came up so far.
Especially the issue of sustainability (since it means kind of thinking
about longterm effects etc.) which I think is one of the most urgent issue
that has to be adressed after a period of technology fascination, the
rediscovery of low-tech or Ars electronicas theme simplicity is already
going in this direction.

SUSTAINABILITY

Public transport is a strategic fore runner in using and spreading
alternative energy supply, so why not public art? Going into public space
should include a responsible treatment of the space it is invading.

I am especially curious about these projects at ISEA:
Ping Genius Loci - using Solar Power
http://01sj.org/content/view/391/49/
Free Soil Tour - A biodiesel bus journey
http://01sj.org/content/view/619/160/
PigeonBlog - environmental air pollution data gathering
http://01sj.org/content/view/159/49/

Interestingly at last years commercial oriented LED conference in San Diego
one of the most vavoured presentations was by David Green of the Carmanah
Technologies Corporation showing interesting LED outdoor applications based
on Solar Power, for example Busstops, Streetsighns, Streetlights etc.
http://www.carmanah.com

Here is an interesting media installation intergration light and sound,
using Solar power. Integrating an analogue bench it supports the possibility
for encounter and exchange in combination with the interactivity occuring
through turning the solar panels on the obelique towards the sun and
experimenting with the effect of this on the displays.
http://www.solarobelisk.de/home_e.htm

Floran Wüst created a pretty long term text messaging installation still
running on a wind turbine Generator since 2000:
http://www.skytalk.org/work/st/index_e.html

It is about a responsable attitude towards resources that I think is
important to address.

I like Barbaras comment:
"Goldstein, Barbara" <[log in to unmask]>
>The majority of human artifacts have disappeared and,
>thank goodness, will continue to do so.  Otherwise we would all be choking
>in society's waste.

It is not only the Problem with the consumption of Energy and the use of
high end materials consuming a lot energy in production (this would also be
the case if the art piece is shown in a gallery). In this sense I would not
like to see that a space is slowly filled up with techno objects at some
point maybe half broken or underused. There is a difference if a stone
sculpture is slowly decaying, beeing washed into the ground water or some
electronic objects. What if longterm oriented media art projects are
"forgotten" and it is not clear who is in charge of the disposal? Anthony
Townsend posted an interesting comment reacting on the Hurrah towards the
really cute LED throwies projects: little leds tied together with a battery
and magnet to throw onto outdoor ferro walls.....
http://graffitiresearchlab.com/?page_id=6

"who thought of the damage if batteries acid is washed by rain into the
ground"

Of course it is true that sustainability always means a balance between
social, environmental and even economic sustainability. Here I put for
example a definition of social sustainability on my website:

http://culturebase.org/home/struppek/HomepageEnglisch/Anfang2.htm


Concerning the Urban Screens Idea I am working on, for me one aspect is to
give existing techno-objects in Urban Space a higher content value making it
thus more sustainable in terms of intense usage before creating new longterm
objects in the often already packed urban Space. A nice project in Akihabara
Tokyo for example made use of the infrastructure of the hundreds of TVs
displayed in the Shopwindows.

http://www.urbanscreens.org

In Berlin is a "nice" LED screen, a black hole overlooking the
Alexanderplatz. It almost calls for an Artproject "beautyfying" this
underused techno-element. The location of the screen is simply too
unattractive for commercial content but is still hanging there. "Upgrading"
commercial media installations of course one has to see that one probably
ends up as teaser to find more "better" commercial content.

Urban Screens tries to question the more or less random plastering of Urban
Space with screens etc. If we want to create longterm usable platforms it is
very necessary to research the interconnectedness of the location, the
format and the possible content to create high value objects open for
participation. 


MEDIA ART IN URBAN DEVELOMENT

Concerning Jorn Ebners comment and also integration of art and urban design
development:

>with regards to Matt's question "is it possible for time-limites
>works to be commissioned in a public art model?" - yes there is, and
>it has been practiced in Hamburg (there may be other cities on this
>planet that did too), as I posted earlier.

In Germany Hamburg indeed is a very inovative model. Another interesting
experiment was the 4 year long "Kunstprojekte Riem" of the Citygovernment
Munich. It was focussing on temprary art projects accompanying the genesis
of the new suburb containing the city's trade fair centre with works of art.
http://www.kunstprojekte-riem.de/english
re:site projects an interactive Media installation was part of it in 2002

http://www.fshuber.net/projects/resite_web/info.en.html

And the New Creative Industries Precinct in Brisbane Australia wants to
integrate a public screening platform accompanying the development of the
nearby quater open also or participatory projects.

A little comment to privat bodies comissioning media art. At MIT the Real
Estate scene discussed about real estate value in a digital world -
largescale technology driven projects and its effect on cities, I heard they
are also interested to use new media art in public space to promote a
certain athmosphere of innovation etc.

http://web.mit.edu/cre/events/events/ncc-symposium.html


OBSTACLES GOING INTO URBAN SPACE

When I made in 2002 my little questionnaire about interactive Artprojects
realised in public space, one question was concerning the difficulties of
realization. One big obstacle was having to deal with so many permissions if
complex media works go into urban space, especially if they are very
temporary this effort seems an unfair burden.

Another big issue that came up was the problem with vandalism, have we
discussed that here? It seems a widespread fear if going with technology
into urban space that it wont last due to vandalism, causing additional
costs of repair. Especially if there is the intention of Artists to try to
reactivate problematic or nonspace areas with interactive new media.

The big Screen in Berlin at Kuhdamm has been a also a victim of vandalism,
until they put the screen much higher on the facade.

Looking at the follow up project of re:site projects the Artists
unintentionally created a project that could handle or integrate the
vandalism and transform to a graffity conversation between artist and the
local on the large woodconstruction containing the screeninstallation.

http://www.oboro.net/archive/exhib0405/resite_montreal/e.html


ART PROJECT SERIES INSTEAD OF LONG TERM INSTALATIONS

What I am especially interested in is also interactive art pieces that
follow a longterm development in a series of temporary projects, really more
developing a series of Artprojects in a research style instead of trying to
preserve an object once released upon the world, even though it is designed
in an open artwork style. As Christian Nold is experimenting with his
biomapping, in an intensive workshop style or Rafael Lozano Hemmer has made
interesting observations during his series of shaddow projects learning a
lot about what it means to interact with an audience in public space. Maybe
this style is not so popular due to a certain kind of preassuere new media
artists feel to work always on the newest and hottest?!

For me going into public space with new media means engaging with people,
surprising people, cause friction and this is hard to achieve with very
longterm installation. Or indeed it is a challange creating interesting
media platforms in Urban Scpace as new exhibition format.


Thanks for your reading patience,
Best
Mirjam


_______________________________________
Mirjam Struppek
Interactionfield, Berlin
http: //www.interactionfield.de
http://www.urbanscreens.org
_______________________________________
Urban Space, Public Sphere and the New Media