The Territory: A Synopsis

The final workshop covered by this module is entitled The Territory and focuses on the concept of deep ecology. Deep ecology places more focus on the non-human elements of our environment such as ecosystems and species and describes how the living environment should also be able to grow and interact in the way that the human species can. It also suggests that the the environment should not be used purely as a human resource, but should have its own purpose and reason for being. The study of deep ecology can at times be a more philosophical approach to the environment, looking at the 'whys' and 'hows' of our existence and impact on the environment, rather than simply looking at the surface of ecology (our interaction with the environment) alike to human or social ecology.
In order to investigate the concept of deep ecology the Territory is based on the Arch-OS system. This is a computerised system set up in the Portland Square building of Plymouth University which monitors different characteristics inside and outside and collects data about them, which can then be manipulated to demonstrate the changes in the building. This in some ways can be considered the life of the building and therefore ties in with the concept of deep ecology, as the building is being viewed not as a resource but as a separate living object which can interact with the environment in its own way.
There is and overview and three main areas covered by the Territory which are listed below. To find out about each of them click on the link which will redirect you to the relevant post:

1. Live Streaming - overview
2. Video Streaming
3. The GreenScreen
4. Arch-OS

Once we had investigated each of these elements we were asked to carry out a small project in which we could use some or all of the elements to create an interesting streaming experience. For my project I decided to work with both the GreenScreen and the Arch-OS data to create a visualisation for the movement of people through Portland Square. To find out more about this project and to see the final result visit the posts below:

1. My Streaming Project
2. Seeing and Dreaming
3. The Building's Dream

Overall the streaming project was quite successful as it created an intriguing and dynamic image. In particular it was successful in terms of the context of the project as it was designed for the building and personified it in a way that matched with the concepts set out by deep ecology. However its main downfall was that it was not taking the data directly from Arch-OS due to the vision system not working. This made the animation less relevant and did not give a sense of the real-time life of the building. It is not impossible to consider this being implemented properly though, and so the product that was produced at least acted as a successful demonstration of what could be created.