YASMIN: Locative Media Art

Yasmin: Locative Media Art

Evento discute as mídias locativas na Grécia com preofessores da área de comunicação e computação, dia 3 de dezembro na Universidade de Atenas com Dimitris Charitos , Martin Rieser and Yanna Vogiazou. Vejam o YASMIN: Locative Media Art (Via Networked_Performance). Vejam trechos:

“The convergence of new mobile telecommunication networks along with geographical positioning systems and interactive graphical interfaces on mobile devices, are beginning to extend the potential of media technologies for supporting communication among mobile individuals. The aforementioned technologies allow groups of people to interact with each other, while being aware of each other’s location at all times. By introducing context awareness and by supporting multi-user communication, these ICT systems alter the patterns of information flow as well as the situation within which communication takes place, thus bringing to light new spatial structures where social interaction will occur and novel forms of cultural practices will emerge.

Locative media are systems of technologically mediated interpersonal and group communication. Such mobile wireless technologies provide the opportunity to augment traditional urban environments with information and communication spatial experiences, which can be accessed through mobile or desktop devices. The main characteristics of locative media are mobility, locativeness and multi-user support. The characteristic of “locativeness”, in particular, may refer to both users and content within a locative media group or activity. These characteristics above may influence interpersonal as well as intergroup relationships in the context of these new social constructions.

Computer-mediated communication via the Internet has allowed physical meeting places to “immigrate” to a “virtual” spatial context, as in the case of MUDs or MOOs. The introduction of mobile location-based communication networks relates again the concept of a “meeting place” to the physical space of an urban environment. It re-introduces the parameter of geographical location in the activity of computer-mediated communication, thus mapping the “virtual” mental space where communication occurs to the physical space, inhabited by the material bodies of communicating participants. Thus, the virtual spatial context of such an activity is mapped onto the physical world and the resulting hybrid spatial context becomes the arena of this activity. Most importantly, such a communication system affords the possibility of face-to-face interaction and brings back the “compulsion of proximity” into computer-mediated communication.

Locative media have already been used by many artists as media for creating activities, performances, dynamic works or “net-works” of a database or narrative structure and other complex types of artistic intervention.

The discussion that will take place in the YASMIN forum will aim to investigate these novel artistic forms from a social and cultural perspective and will attempt to provide answers to a series of questions, some of which follow:

– Where is a locative media artwork? How does a spectator/visitor experience such an activity or system as a spatial context within which interaction occurs and symbolic content is communicated?

– Can the use of locative media by artists be considered as an “aestheticisation” of these high-end ICT systems’ use and even as an “excuse” for the rapid expansion of surveillance technologies?

– Could we attempt a categorization of Locative Media artworks and related activities created so far?

– Does experimenting with these advanced forms of ICTs turn the focus of attention to the technological media per se and much less on the symbolic content communicated?

– How may these types of artworks or activities alter our understanding of the concepts of representation and narrative?

– How do locative media activities influence the dynamics of social interaction in real time and space? How can they affect our patterns of communication and our social behaviours in the long term?

– From a design perspective, how can we create locative media art and activities that are more intertwined with the fabric of our everyday life?”