Art 511 final paper

What is locative media? According to Wikipedia.org, “Locative media is media of communication functionally bound to a location.” Now that doesn’t tell us much but it gets us started in the right direction. Locative media is an emerging field that ties technology and location together.  It is hard to define because it is ever growing and every changing to encompass new possibilities and new ideas. Locative media has a wide variety of applications, and has potential in the commercial, personal and educational arenas. In this paper I would like to explore a few of those possibilities and raise questions about the limitations facing this exciting new emerging field.

In March of ‘07 Technology Review reported a team of researchers, led by Markus Kahari, from Nokia’s research center located in Helsinki unveiling a prototype system on one of their smart phones that included a GPS sensor, a compass and an accelerometer.

"Using data from these sensors, the phone can calculate the location of just about any object its camera is pointed at. Each time the phone changes location, it retrieves landmarks from an external database. The user can then download additional information about a chosen location from the web."

 

While the technology is still in development think of the possibilities. Not just for tourists navigating a new and strange city but giving friends the ability to go around and geo-tag all over a city. Tagging restaurants they like, basketball courts they want to set up pick up games and possibly leave notes for friends that are date and time specific as to arrange meeting places or events. Again because locative media seems tailor made for narrative people could create stories and histories around the city that could be locked in place and time and keep those as a record for all that follow after.

Social networking and gaming are also being redefined with the advent of locative media. Websites such as Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter are changing the way people connect with each other and the way they communicate and interact. At first these services were tethered to the home computer and a internet land line, but now as computers are getting smaller, being integrated with cell phones and wireless internet they are beginning to be taken outside into the real world. You can check your facebook for notifications or update your tweet in real time on the go. And now with GPS enabled phones it has become possible to navigate your way around unfamiliar places, as well as locate friends, restaurants, shops and more. While this is a start I foresee the technology moving well beyond its current state and shattering the limitations of its hardware.

             These are great ideas but they are still limited to using a handheld or laptop device. I see the future potential going well beyond this. I believe in the near future the technology described in the Technology Review article being implemented with wearable technology such as virtual reality headsets which are becoming smaller and smaller and are now about the same size as a pair of sunglasses. There are many different styles of head sets on the market right now that are designed to be incorporated with standard computers, but there are also great number of headsets or virtual reality goggles, VRG’s, that are in conceptual stages. One such device reported on the website, Gearfuse.com, entitled “Intense” by designer

 Benjamin Hubert looks to the future and hopes to do away with the computer and allow, “feedback from a sensory rich reality [to] directly stimulate the brain via a chip in the motor cortex of the brain.” These stylish goggles would allow the wearer to be freed from the restrictions of being tied to a computer and would allow them to roam free in reality while enjoying a virtual world. I like the potential of this product and ones like it but I would like to see them taken one step further and implement augmented reality.  Instead of just walking through a purely virtual world I envision cameras being attached to the goggles/glasses so that information from the real world could be changed and have digital information superimposed on to it. If this becomes a reality I see a lot of money being made in the gaming industry.

            The gaming industry already makes up the majority of VGR purchases on the market. I think the Immersive realities would change the way gamers play. At the moment there are quite a few games that create online communities such as world of warcraft and secondlife. I think it is great to connect people from around the world but it is hindering connections with people from around where you live. A goal for me would be to bring people together to a common area where they could play their game but still interact with real people. Imagine a warehouse with physical structures that could be transformed into any world or time just by using an augmented reality. With the right programming

this could become a reality. Players would wear VGR’s or whatever new technology might arize and beable to interact with eachother in realtime but instead of being themeselve the would appear as the avatar they create. Whether it be medieval knights or futuristic space rangers, it wouldn’t matter because all it would take is loading a different game map and program to change the surroundings and game play. There would even be the possibility to load in players remotely from around the world. Then when the game is turned off and everyone is finishehed they will be surrounded by actual people and have the ability to make deeper connections with those around them.

I think artists are going to have a major role in where this technology is going as well. Art interventions will be able to be carried out in a much larger scale because the cost of physical materials will be removed from the equation. It is true that much of the equipment that would be needed is very expensive at the moment or even still under development, but over time the cost of all technology comes down. If devices such as VRG’s become common everyday gadgets like the iPod or iPhone, arts will be able to target the audience they want. Dr. Samuel Centralai writes, “Locative art suggests a future in which artists will create virtual works, specifically placed at GPS coordinates to overlay our regular, pedestrian reality.” He continues to speculate that, “there could potentially exist millions of different "channels" -- different worlds, even -- which one could choose to perceive at any time.” I too have thought about having a system for many channels to exist in. As more and more people define the space around them, channels can be created to accommodate people with shared interests and aesthetics. There could be a limitless number of layers occupying the same space and depending on what channel you have your device (what ever that may end up being), tuned to will determine what you see. The Beauty of this kind of art is that there are no restrictions on it. It could be as large or small as you want it to be. The artist imagination is its only limitation.

            These ideas could even be incorporated into the educational system. One of the great aspects of locative media is its ability to use narrative to tell stories and give information. Text books may some day be replaced or at least supplemented by immersive environments created with integrative technologies. Instead of merely being given information one would be allowed to wander around and “discover” it. An early incarnation of this sort of learning would be the audio tours you can take at zoos and museums. While they give you information they are designed in a way that present the same information to everyone. With the new technologies emerging it is possible to add a bit more user control over them. As we have learned using mscape, it is possible to add many layers of information and as the field becomes more refined and integrated it would be possible to allow for different tours from different perspectives to be given from the same devise. Historic events would also be able to be brought to life. As a child I remember going to Historic Valley Forge in Pennsylvania. While there my family and I watched a video about the events that took place at the fort. While it was informative and entertaining it was a passive experience. With locative media it would be possible to recreate some of the historic battles and events and transplant visitors into the action.

         I see great possibilities for this field but unfortunately I am also a bit of a cynic. I have spoken much of where I would like to see the technology lead, but the artists and educators are rarely the ones with the financial means to shape technology. It saddens my heart to say but the people who will probably dictate where this all goes are the large corporations. In there eyes they will use this as just another way to slang their wares to a public that is becoming more and more desensitized. The only hope for us is the creativity and ingenuity of artists and hackers alike to find ways of turning the system onto its head and reclaiming digital space as they have done now with actual space in reality.

References:

Centralia, Samuel. "Locative Art: The Aesthetics of GPS." Dyscern.com. 17 Jan 2008. 12 May 2009 .

Fallon, Sean. "Virtual Reality Headset For The Style Conscious Consumer." gearfuse.com. 17 Sep 2007. Gear Fuse. 12 May 2009 .

Jonietz, Erika. "TR10:Augmented Reality." technologyreview.com. 12 Mar 2007. Technology Review. 12 May 2009 .