An Apparatus for Capturing Other Points of View

Julian Bleecker

14 March 2009

7.5 metre pole with 2 wide field of view cameras, post-processing software using Max/ MSP+Jitter, Processing and Adobe After Effects

The apparatus consists of a very tall pole which is used to gain a unique, portable vantage point to see the world. Two wide field of view cameras are used to capture video from the full height. The video is then processed to highlight specific features of the world below, mostly such things as the movement of people and the movement strategies. Individuals are highlighted using video processing algorithms to accentuate the flow of urban life. The motivation for this project is the noted urbanist, William H. Whyte, who wrote an important, short monograph that went along with a film, both called The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces.

Acknowledgements: Simon James, Nicolas Nova, Fabien Girardin, Jan Chipchase, Aaron Meyers, Noah Keating, Bella Chu, Duncan Burns, Andrew Gartrell, Nikolaj Bestle

http://www.nearfuturelaboratory.com

http://bit.ly/CameraOnAPole