The Viscous Display : a transient interface for collective play in public space

The Viscous Display is a tangible, mobile, flexible display device that explores the exchange of social information through transient public interfaces. Shaped by principles of so-called 'underground public art', the Viscous Display is conceived as a novel communication medium, where symbolic graphic messages can be shared in public spaces. Similar to stickers that are left in public spaces and pheromones that are left by ants in colonies, the Viscous Display is designed as a mobile artifact that is meant to enable participants to leave traces of activity by picking them up, interacting with them, and placing them in various locations. As a consequence, digital information/artifacts can also be left around public spaces via the Viscous Display for people to stumble upon. This thesis will describe the approach and process of designing, constructing and testing the Viscous Display project. The Viscous Display aims to create landscapes that are charged with the traces and messages of others that have inhabited that same space. This work contributes to a vision for changing spatial metaphors in public space.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Architecture. Program in Media Arts and Sciences.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2005

Author dc:creator

• Shirvanee, Lily.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Glorianna Davenport.

• Architecture. Program in Media Arts and Sciences.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/28940

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/28940