Art 511 Art & Telecommunications

Assignment 4: Simulating a Small Screen, Location Sensitive Web Event

Media culture finds itself at a contradictory moment dominated by two powerful trends competing for the future of the Web:
 

• One trend focuses on the increasing computer power of PC's which are now capable of high resolution 3-D animation, full screen interactive video and the increasing spread of broadband, high speed access.  Experimental media artists are encouraged to create media rich environments that assume the fruition of these developments.
• Another trend focuses on the increasing spread of Internet appliances such as cell phones, PDA's, automobile nodes, and screens embedded on all kinds of common devices such as toys.  In this mobile and embedded web screens and keyboards shrink to extremely small proportions.  Also the combination with GPS technology opens up the possibility of location sensitive media which changes its content based on the location of the user and interactions with other mobile persons.  For example, in Norway 50% of teenagers use a mobile messaging system to communicate with each other as they move through the day.

• What kind of art/media event makes sense in this small format?
• What makes sense in a device that is carried around?
• How can you create something that makes unique use of the user's location?

You are asked to confront these technical challenges.

• This assignment asks you to create a simulation of a small screen web event.  Assume proportions no bigger than 320 x 240
• Although most small devices do not yet have color, forecasters predict they will have it in the future so feel free to use color.   Analysts also predict that sound will be an important part of the interface, so feel free to use sound.
• There won't be a full keyboard so assume a small keyboard with limited keys or a pointing based touch sensitive screen.
• People will be unwilling to navigate through complex pages - new kinds of effective information and navigation systems are required.

You will be simulating this on the full browser screen but for the sake of simulation condense everything to 320 x 240.
 
 
 

This page is part of Art 511 New Communications Technologies in the Conceptual/Information Arts Program.  It was prepared by Professor Stephen Wilson..