EVERYDAYSALONE

Domus Academy 2008 – Around Mobile | Always Beta!

Project Leader: Setsu Ito

Collaborators:

Jakkapun Charinrattana, Michelle Man, Jonning Chng

Abstract

Undoubtedly, Milan turns into the most vibrant city overnight because of the Salone del Mobile.  It is the time when artists and designers alike get the opportunity to showcase their work in galleries and urban infrastructures all over the city, be it bus stops, bridges, or even footpaths. People can immerse themselves in the world of creativity, wherever they are.

As the Salone ends, the liveliness fades, artists and designers resort to the conventional ways to exhibit their works, in the physical and the virtual environment, confined to assigned spaces.

EVERYDAYSALONE is a revolutionary online community-based system that blurs the boundaries between the virtual and physical reality.  By integrating virtual artwork with the real physical environment, a new form of self-expression is born, allowing the freedom to show artwork anywhere, hence creating a Salone atmosphere in our everyday lives.

Keywords

+  Freedom

+  Portability

+  Self-Expression

+  Social-Expansion

+  Discovery of new landscape

Introduction

Unique events like Salone del Mobile bring an array of creative people together.  City streets and urban spaces turn into live galleries that allow various artists and designers to showcase their works.  The city becomes “alive” and so are the people, who come together to experience the creativity, and exchange “ratings” on the best design spots.  The excitement of not knowing what and who you will run into is probably the most attractive part.

As the Salone ends, the city returns to its former self.  People retreat into their own “personal space”, and resume to their daily lives.  Art is no longer “everywhere” but confined to Design Museums, or online websites.

Details

This project attempts to recreate a Salone atmosphere in the urban space that is not limited to a certain time of the year, but integrated into our everyday lives.  By embedding virtual artwork into the physical environment, artists have the freedom to showcase their work anywhere, with the physical environment as the “canvas”.  A new behaviour is created as the viewers no longer need to resort to the conventional ways to discover and view artwork.

The design proposal is an online community-based system that enables an interchange of information between exhibitors (e.g. artists, designers) and viewers.

However, unlike other online portfolio or design websites, the exhibitors can show their works in the physical environment without disrupting the existing urban infrastructure.  This extension into space dimensions can be done by virtually “pasting” his artwork on the desired physical location using the “Sketchpad” device, which registers the location and orientation via GPS by the system.  This system allows the viewer to see the artwork through his mobile phone camera, connected wirelessly to the online system.  Once viewed, the viewer can give ratings, comments, or save the link to share with his friends in order to participate in the EVERYDAYSALONE community.

The process consists of 5 steps:

1. Subscription to EVERYDAYSALONE

The exhibitor subscribes to EVERYDAYSALONE service, and creates an online user profile.  The system uses his uploaded avatar image to generate a unique High Capacity Colour Barcode, called grID. The exhibitor can save this grID and print it out on an ordinary inkjet printer for later use as a sticker.  He will also receive the Sketchpad device via mail in order to proceed.  These two things complete his subscription process.

2. Uploading work onto EVERYDAYSALONE

The exhibitor creates artwork using his computer and uploads his work onto the online system. This generates a unique link to his profile page.

3. “Pasting” and exhibiting Artwork

The exhibitor downloads the link of the artwork onto his “Sketchpad” device and uses the device to virtually “paste” the artwork onto the physical environment.  (The artwork cannot be seen through the naked eye).  The device registers the location via GPS of the pasted artwork, and sends the information back to the online system for storage and processing.  Once completed, he finds a landmark nearby the artwork (e.g. a bus stop) with the EVERYDAYSALONE poster on it, and pastes the grID that he printed out earlier in the assigned space.

4. Viewer accessing Artwork

The viewer who notices the EVERYDAYSALONE poster, captures the grID pasted on it using his mobile phone camera.  This automatically sends a request to the online system, which identifies the viewer’s location, and the artwork of the exhibitor whose grID he captured.  The system then sends the related data: GPS directions to the artwork, and also the streaming image/render (360^o views) of the artwork previously pasted by the exhibitor, viewable from the mobile phone screen.

5. Viewer participating in the community

Once viewed, the viewer can give feedback to the community by sharing views/comments or give ratings to the artwork.  They can even send the captured image or link to their friends.  This forms an ongoing cycle that connects the viewers and exhibitors together, allowing an interactive rapport that builds on the creative community.

Sketchpad Details

The Sketchpad device has the main function of virtually “pasting” the artwork onto the physical environment and allows the editing of the artwork.  The beauty of this design is the ability to use it in any orientation.  We wanted this device to be as ‘invisible’ as possible to the user, because designers need to feel less restrictive to be creative.  The indented holes in the back profile of the Sketchpad are soft silicone buttons.  Pressing on any of the back buttons will trigger the menu on the graphical interface.  This enhances the freedom of use of the device, as the user is able to hold it in any orientation and still able to activate the menu selection.  The touch screen with special pressure sensor allows any pin-like surface to be used as a pen (e.g. a pen cap) without the need for a specific stylus.  Equipped with modern technologies like GPS, distance sensor, and digital image capturing, this device allows the user to place the artwork more precisely onto the physical environment.

In Conclusion …

This project creates a new “virtual” landscape for the urban infrastructure.  A device with a simple user interface allows the exhibitor to showcase their work anywhere in the city.  Therefore, the exhibition of their works is no longer limited to conventional mediums such as physical spaces or even online galleries.  For example, instead of using a flat background for the artwork, the “canvas” itself is the cityscape, making the artwork and the urban landscape more dynamic.

This project brings about a new behaviour for people to view and exchange comments about art or design, allowing exhibitors to publicize their work.  The thrill of discovering new artwork, designs, or even installations wherever the viewers happen to be makes this project more interesting.  Everyday activities like waiting for the bus could be an entirely new experience.

In addition, the use of the grIDs (High Capacity Colour Barcode) allows the exhibitor to customize their own IDs.  Simple reproduction of this code through printing makes it a “low-tech” form of self-advertisement like a name card.  Most importantly, the 2D or 3D artworks are displayed “virtually” which means that the urban infrastructure is preserved.

This system is especially suitable for young artists who wish to publicize their work with limited funds.  However, the target users are not limited to creative exhibitors.  The usage can be extended for commercial purposes, such as selling or buying items.  Advances in technology in the future may also enable 3D animations to be “pasted” in a certain location, which makes the viewing experience even more immersive.