LABO_In the Air (2008-2010)
Web application in Processing+Java, stereolithography, prints on paper.
The idea behind In the Air is to make visible the microscopic and invisible agents of the air in cities (gas, particles, pollen, illnesses, etc) in order to see how they behave, react and interact with the rest of the urban structure. The basis for visualisation is a web application representing the levels of geolocalised contamination and their evolution over time using three-dimensional surfaces. The results of this analysis help create a range of mechanisms exploring ways to locate the public data in the public space, like a “diffuse façade” or a digital façade. On the other hand, the development of domestic sensors/indicators will also allow citizens to take part in the production of independent data.
The project is conceived as an instrument to navigate the city, as a platform for raising the individual and collective consciousness and as a tool for city planning and political decision-taking.
LABO_In the Air is a laboratory researching into this “new” invisible ecosystem, and examining distinct formats for extracting information from existing applications. When crossing data related with the physical and social weave of the city, the behavioural patterns of different components begin to emerge. Comparing different cities will identify different behaviours related with geographical situations and differences in practices, while instantaneous readings create histories of urban events in which contamination functions as an indicator. At the same time, it develops mechanisms fostering the physical and perceptive involvement of the spectator with the data by means of virtual navigation or the materialisation of each invisible agent on varying scales.
Collaborators: Sandra Fernández, Carlota Pascual, Gregg Smith, Guillermo Ramírez, Miguel Vidal, Paco Ramírez, Raphaël de Staël, Susanna Tesconi, Víctor Viña, Katha Caceres, Francisco Calvo, Christian Oyarzun, Paolo Battino, Marina Fernández, Martín Nadal, Raquel Osa, Guillermo San Miguel, András Beke, Áron Benedek, Dávid Dul, Irma Földényi, Olivér Horváth, Márton András, Szonja Kádár, Tamás Nadrai, Levente Polyák, Zsófia Ruttkay
LABO_In the Air collaborators: Marina Fernández (production coordinator); Martín Nadal (programming developer); Pablo Guadalupe (interactive interface); Kike de la Rubia (illustration)
Workshops: Visualizar’08 and Visualizar’09, Medialab-Prado, Madrid; Bienal de artes mediales, MAC 2009, Santiago de Chile; Lab to lab, Kitchen, Budapest, 2009
