The Field: space-based navigation

The second practical session of The Field is labelled space-based navigation which relates more closely with the concept of locative media. In particular this part of the project dealt with GPS tracking through the use of GPS devices. By tracing your movement with a GPS device you are able to draw images onto the landscape, almost mimicking a virtual graffiti. The task was to create an image using a GPS track within the space around the university such as the GPS drawings created by others around the globe. After looking at a number of examples such as that shown right I decided that I liked the idea of being able write text onto the landscape and so began to design my own drawing. The image that I was to create had to be possible within the paths around the university and so I chose to use a map of the university to define my image. I also felt that my image should relate to the task at hand as this would make the drawing I made more relevant. The drawing I created shows the word GPS drawn out with the pencil following and is as follows:

The only trouble with the actual track that I made was that the GPS device drew the track as a series of points rather than a line and so I had to overlay a line on the image to make the image more readable. Apart from this the track that I made was quite successful and included a detailed navigation of the space available. For more information about creating this track view the following posts:

1. GPS Drawing
2. Flat GPS Track

This space-based navigation developed the previous elements of the Field by introducing the concept of using and manipulating hertzian space in order to create images that only exist in a virtual environment.

The Field: space-based mapping

The first element of The Field was to investigate further into the concept of hertzian space by carrying out a space-based mapping exercise. The task was to select a hertzian frequency to investigate and a location in which to study and then map the frequency at that location. The size of the location was dependant on the frequency chosen due to the range that each frequency could span. Similarly the ways in which the hertzian space could have been investigated was dependant on the frequency due to the technologies that could investigate each. For example bluetooth can be investigated using mobile phones, while wifi can be investigated using stumbling software on computers.

For my space-based map I first chose to investigate wifi using my laptop in my accomodation at Alexandra Works. I thought this would be an interesting hertzian space to investigate as I have a wireless network in my room, but I was intrigued as to how many other students in the building decided to do the same thing and what other networks were accessible. After investigating the building a number of times with my laptop I discovered a surprising amount of wireless networks and then made the map to portray their location and range(shown left). This demonstrates an interesting use of the hertzian space around the building, especially in areas where the signals overlap as the hertzian space is shared by more than one signal at these locations. To find out more about the production of this map view the post Hertzian Space.

However this space-based map was not all that accurate as the actual ranges of each of the networks were likely to be more obscure due to the interference of the building. I therefore decided to do a second map using bluetooth in the Roland Levinsky building of the university. The map I produced is shown right. This was an interesting area to investigate as the movement and range of the Bluetooth devices could be monitored due to the recognition of Bluetooth names on different floors. It also demonstrates where the hertzian space is most dense with Bluetooth signals and where it is not. To find out more about this second map visit Roland Levinsky Mapping.
Overall the space-based maps I produced were both realtively successful. By investigating the areas described it introduced a new way of viewing the space in which technology reaches as well as a different way of viewing the environment as a whole. It demonstrated an interaction with the environment relating to human ecology which may previously have been ignored and increased the awareness of the hertzian space used around us.

The Field: the beginning

The second section covered by this module was entitled The Field. The focus of The Field is human ecology as it investigates the different ways in which we interact with the environment as human beings. In particular The Field is space orientated and involves the interaction of technology with the space around it. The aim of the section was to introduce different ways to access, percieve and construct space as well as map and manipulate the space around us. To begin The Field we were introduced to the concept of hertzian space and locative media.
Hertzian space is the concept of the space that is taken up by hertz based frequency transmissions. These transmissions are invisible to the naked eye and so are not ususally considered as filling any space at all. Examples of these transmissions include wifi, bluetooth, radio, tv,and mobile. All of these transmissions are broadcast through the air but due to the lack of any visual physicality are not considered to be using space. These transmissions however do hold a physical form, we just are not able to see the electromagnetic frequency at which they are viewable. Left is an example of a visualisation of the hertzian space based on mobile phone calls using balloons. By studying hertzian space a new view of the environment can be discovered in which the atmosphere is full of different hertzian materials.

Locative media on the other hand is media that communicates information at a defined location and technologies such as GPS enable locative media to function. The term locative media was created by Karlis Kalnins in order to distinguish between technologies that dealt with locations creatively and location-based services. By using locative media, people are able to investigate and experiment with the space around them in a new way.

By dealing with locative media and hertzian space through The Field project a new understanding of our environment in terms of technology and frequency can be discovered and investigated.

The Picnic: the picnic mat

The final part of the Picnic project was to take the time-based drawing (notations), print them off onto A3 paper and mould the paper to resemble the information that it contained. The aim of this was to convert the whole drawing to 3D (similar to that of the time-based model) but this time finish off with an actual 3D object which displayed all of the information. This 3D object can in some ways be described as the picnic mat, as it is where all the observations made are located, similar to the mat of the original picnic. Also by converting the 2D map into a 3D model it places the observations back into a physical environment alike to that in which the observations were first made. This continues the reconstruction of the information from a different perspective. The 3D object I created is shown below:



This model was designed so that the peaks of the object were where the highest frequency of the notations occurred, while the troughs of the model were where there was little notation. On the non-printed side however these characteristics are reversed. For more information on this model see the following post:

1. Paper Model of picnic

The main criticism to be had about this model however is that the characteristics are quite difficult to identify through images such as those above. In the physical form the different folds are more easy to read, and so to make the key folds easier to recognise via images I have made the following illustration:

This also demonstrates the reliance of the observations of the existence of people in the image as each of the key peaks in this image are located at the points in which the people were located in the original photograph. This highlights an interesting relationship between the environment and the existence of civilisation, as a lot of the possible elements of the environment are most often sourced from humans, such as sound and movement.
This model almost acts as a complete reconstruction of the original picnic, but is however missing a vital element. The original picnic operated in 4D in that it occured over a period of time. The above 3D object however does not encorporate time and so cannot be described as a complete reconstruction. This final element however was not required as part of the project. The final 3D object created provides an abstract and intriguing perspective of the picnic, and acts as a viable conclusion to the project.

The Picnic: time-based model

Once the notational section of The Picnic was complete the next stage was to create a model based on the interaction that was studied. This model could then be photographed and put back into the the notations as an image. By doing this 3D elements would be incorporated back into the map of the picnic, therefore linking it more directly to the original physical picnic and the time-based photograph. The notations alone acted on a purely 2D basis by deconstructing the picnic photograph into a flat illustration. By placing images of a 3D model with the notations the time-based drawing would become more dynamic and would develop the image to become more closely related to the original event.
In order for us to fully understand this concept examples were given of previous student's work that was completed for tasks similar to our own. The students had to study an interaction that they made with their environment that was personal to them and then model an object that would develop or improve this interaction. Specifically they had to relate their model to a body part that was linked to the interaction. Left and right are two examples. The first is a model based on the neck relating to make-up and hair routines. The second is a model of the movement of the leg.

These models demonstrate the abstraction of the original interaction into a physical reconstruction of the event from a different perspective. This is similar to the aim of The Picnic in that the original picnic was to be deconstructed then slowly reconstructed to produce a map of the picnic that showed it from a different perspective. The time-based model therefore acted as a part of this process, similar to the moulds and models made in the above projects.
The interaction that I had chosen to focus on was that of the hands within the picnic, and so for the model I made a mould of the back of my hand. I particularly made the knuckles more prominent by moulding a clenched hand rather than a flat hand, as this made the mould easier to recognise and a more interesting shape to look at. The following are images of the model that I made:

Once I had moulded the model of my hand and photographed it the images were placed over the hands of those in the time-based photograph as a final notation modelling the interactions that were made. The final notation therefore was as follows:

For more information on the production and development of the model and notations see the following posts:

1. My Cast and More
2. Almost completed in 2D
3. Final Notations

By incorporating the 3D element into the notations the interactions that were studied become instantly more prominent. The model also adds a sense of depth to the notation due to the placement of the model matching that of the time-based photograph. This is an interesting observation as not only does the inclusion of the model add a 3D object to the image, but it also translates the whole notation from a 2D perspective to a more 3D one. This demonstrates that the inclusion of the model was more effective than first intended, and therefore more successful.
Overall the time-based model allowed us to investigate further the ways in which we can interpret our interactions with the environment and develop them into a more abstract reconstruction.

The Picnic: time-based drawing

Once the time-based photograph had been constructed the next stage was to create a 'time-based drawing' from it. This meant taking our photograph, extracting the information from it and the notating this information in a different and abstract way. Five different types of information had to be covered which could be extracted from the image and then notated. Examples of these were things like light/dark areas and fast/slow movements. The five covered in my drawing were light/dark areas, hard/soft areas, loud/quiet areas, fast/slow movements and the time based aspect; a numerical representation of the order in which the photos were taken. In order for us to get a better understanding of how to take the time-based photo and notate it a number of examples were given of ways in which information can be visualised. One leading example was that of Edward Tufte's work into visualising data.

Edward Tufte’s work revolves around the visualisation of data and information, but in a way that is more effective and efficient in portraying the information to the audience. This means using unconventional methods of communicating information i.e. not by using basic graphs and tallies, but by drawing stimulating and representative images to portray the same information, and by using as little notation as possible . This demonstrates an interesting and unique way of looking and dealing with information. Items of his work often include environmental elements although the basis is set on the modelling of data. By looking at works such as Tufte's this gave us inspiration into how to notate our images in a way that displays the information within it. The following is the final notation images that I produced during the project:

These notations also show the model section of the Picnic discussed later in The Picnic: time-based model. To find out more about the construction of these notations select the links to the posts below:

1. Further Developments
2. My Cast and More
3. Almost completed in 2D
4. Hard and soft is complete
5. Final Notations

The time-based drawing that I produced actually was quite successful. To begin with for this part of The Picnic I was finding it difficult to find interesting and unique ways in which to notate the environment. This was mainly because of the concept of abstracting elements of the environment that are not usually paid any attention such as light and sound. However the more time spent experimenting and looking for ideas, the easier I found it to make the necessary abstractions resulting in the final notations shown above.
Out of the notations that I produced I particularly like the grid used to display light and dark areas, and also the dots used to portray hard and soft materials. These are the better notations as they are better abstracted from what they related to. This makes them more interesting as their purpose is less obvious. They also add interesting shape and colour to the drawing as they are more wide spread characteristics that do not rely on the people in the photograph.
Overall the time-based drawing was a revealing and developmental task that was vitally important in learning to think more abstractly about the task at hand. Not only did it help in terms of future projects but also in terms of the ecological factor of the Picnic. By abstracting the photograph of the Picnic it highlighted elements of the environment which we interact with that we may not have previously noticed, therefore enhancing the human ecology aspect of the Picnic.

The Picnic: time based photograph

Along with demonstrating elements of works for ideas and inspiration the beginning of the Picnic section also included the introduction to the Picnic Project. The aim of this project was to first document specific social interactions of your choosing using photographs, and then develop this into a map of the interactions that occurred. The process of the initial documentation was titled the time-based photograph as the photos were to be taken over a period of time, and also demonstrate the changes in interactions over time. The social interactions studied had to be specific aspects of people's behaviour such as gestures or expressions, which meant focusing on photographing particular body parts. For my time based photograph I chose to focus on the hands as these are main means of communicating other than speech and so would be quite dynamic. The posts covering this section of the picnic are listed below. To view these posts click the titles:

1. Picnic Photos
2. Collation of Photos

The final collage that I created resulted in the following time-based photograph:

I think this collage is quite successful in portraying the social interactions that occurred on the Picnic. In particular a variety of hand gestures are portrayed, demonstrating the focus of the image. The image however has not lost any readability due to this and so the situation can be easily assessed by the viewer. The composition of the image allows for the various movements and gestures to be displayed without crowding the image. As well as social interactions it also demonstrates interaction with both natural and man-made objects within the environment, which directly links with the theme of both social and human ecology covered in this module.
The time-based photograph was an interesting and engaging way to begin this project and also the module overall. By using a practical and social event to launch us into the project it allowed us to instantly get to grips with the mind set needed for the project whilst also acting as a useful introduction to the people and places around us.