The piece which I found most engaging this week was the Coming Soon! mixed-reality urban walking tour by Stephanie Rothenberg. I think work like this has the ability to really open up conversations in communities where people are always on the move. As a person goes around on the tour, they use a camera viewfinder on a mobile device such as a smartphone or iPad to discover “a series of animated, virtual billboards linking to both personal stories and factual data that pose questions around what remains seen and what gets left behind in the effort to revitalize.” The project relies on interviews with all types of community members to create a local narrative on current and future development.” In a way I picture it being like Google Glass, except that its specific goal is to spark narrative and encourage community participation. Maybe someone can/will develop a way to use Google Glass to serve a similar function? I don’t actually know if that would necessarily be a good or a bad thing though. The amount of actual face-to-face human interaction is already dwindling as it is, maybe the ability to converse through Google Glass would lead to the population ending up like the people on Wall-E. I wonder if this type of communication will one day take the place of things like town hall meetings. Does anyone still go to those?
I also liked the Swipe project, I think it is an example of an intelligent way to bring attention to unknown practices and get people thinking. There was one quote that really resonated with me, and I think I saw it on someone else’s post as well. It says, “With public knowledge there is a chance for public voices, and ultimately resistance.”
I also really found the Coming Soon! project very engaging. I think this project offers a really interesting intersection between what comes before revitalization, what exists currently, and what comes after. Having lived in Portland my whole life, this project reminds me of the revitalization of the Pearl District area. With revitalization projects it’s really easy to look at the before and after. This artwork facilitates some of the in-between conversations that get left out.
The Coming Soon project is intriguing. It would be fun to do a version that also focused on the past as a means to interactively connect with what was where you once stood. Once upon a time you yourself were coming soon, and to see how you affect your landscape, and how it is changing in the future could be a powerful motivator for responsible change.
Your consideration of the balance between technological communication and face-to-face human interaction reflects a nuanced understanding of the potential societal implications. The mention of Google Glass potentially leading to a scenario akin to the people in Wall-E adds depth to the conversation, showcasing your ability to critically examine the evolving dynamics of communication technologies. Thanks!