SPACE

URBAN EYES: A public prototype presentation

22 – 25 March 2006 A project by Marcus Kirsch and Jussi Ängeslevä.In collaboration with Arts Council England, Furtherfield and V2. Over four days in March as a part of NODE.London, SPACE Media Arts hosted a public prototype presentation of URBAN EYES, an award-winning location based project using RFID technology and pigeons to reawaken our natural drive for exploration. Using the everyday urban dweller and bastard son of the carrier pigeon, the ever present urban pigeon (Columba livia), URBAN EYES establishes a connection between humans and those 'flying rats' using modern technology. URBAN EYES crosses and expands our mobility patterns via the pigeon's pattern, through images from the bird's journey, delivered to viewers. The installation is based on a combination of modular feeding platforms and tagged pigeons. Using Radio Frequency Indentification (RFID) tags in birdrings, a pigeon landing on a feeding platform sends its images and messages to surrounding bluetooth devices (phones, organizers, laptops). All the user has to bring is a bluetooth-enabled device and perhaps some birdseed. When the feeding platform is web enabled, imagery and messages are delivered by the bird based on information from the surrounding area's publicly available cameras. Marcus Kirsch (UK) is a technoartist, new media designer and programmer. He holds a BA in Graphic Design, an MA in Interaction Design from Royal College of Art in London. His work has been shown in England, Ireland and Holland on numerous events, with a recent invitation to 2004 Seoul Biennale and as exhibiting artist and speaker at last year’s Rotterdam International Film Festival and DEAF Festival. Holding MA in Audio Visual Media Culture from the University of Lapland in Finland, and MA in Interaction Design from the Royal College of Art, Jussi Ängeslevä (Germany) is currently working at the for ART+COM in Berlin, Germany. His work has been presented internationally in events and venues such as Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, Siggraph, National Institute of Health in Maryland, ZKM and Science Museum London.