Pranav Mistry: The thrilling potential of SixthSense technology

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I though the TED talk by Pranav Mistry from MIT’s Media lab about the “Sixth Sense” project was interesting to think about while brainstorming for the next project. I think he brings up some good points about possibilities in human interaction with digital media. His ideas span from useful tools for everyday life to games to occupy idle time while on the subway. He is invested in getting the digital world away from just existing on a screen and making it a more tactile experience. If you have the time and haven’t seen it yet I’d recommend it!

Interactive City Map of Berlin

I mentioned earlier in the year that I am interested in suburban and city planning and I wanted to see what kind of interactive art/projects were out there about this topic. From this search I found ART + COM’s work. They made a media table for the Red Town Hall in Berlin, Germany in 2009 which allows visitors to interactively view the cities history and cultural attractions. While this project seems very fitting for its purpose in the town hall, it’s not quite what I am personally interested in. I think they succeeded in making an engaging informational tool, but I don’t really view it as an art piece.

Drawing Machine, by Lab212

Lab212 created a drawing machine for the public to interact with, which was installed on front facade of the French Institute of Morocco to celebrate the international festival of short animated films. There are many electronic drawing machines out there, but I thought this one had an interesting take in its scale and simple interface. It seems like it would be a fun experience to be a part of a drawing that big and in a public space. (Don’t get how it relates to short animated films though, but fun anyway)