Paul Klotz is an applied art engineer and light designer who focuses on interactive light installations for public spaces. By means of light and sound installations which react to and integrate the movements of the passersby or of the people which interact with them, he attempts influence the movements and behavior of people in public spaces.

Although some of his projects have a more obviously political dimension, such as the thermometer project, which aims to create awareness of environmental pollution, the primary function of his creative lighting installations is aesthetic and stems from his passion and fascination with light as medium. The content of his light installations is generated as a response to the data gathered by sensors at the location of the installation. In the thermometer installation for example, the light bar of the thermometer fluctuates according to the people or vehicles that are passing by, indicating the level of danger for the environment.

It would have been interesting to further find out from the artist: Why light? Besides the artist’s passion for it, how does light as medium in particular influence interaction with the installation and between individuals? How does the creative use of light in public space shape that space?

More information about Paul Klotz’s projects can be found on the artist’s website.

For more urban screens reports please go to: www.networkcultures.org/urbanscreens.

Mettina Veenstra is the principal researcher and coordinator of the theme public spaces at Novay Research. Novay is a research institute for ICT driven innovation. Her presentation today at the Urban Screens conference focused on what public displays can do for public space in terms of stimulating encounters and interactions between people in public spaces. They aim to explore the role as public displays as external stimulus to create contact between people, a process called triangulation, with art being an important form of it. The speaker identified eight applications of public displays: information, entertainment, art and culture, advertising, communication, better services, e-participation (the stimulation of discussion on environment and other local issues) and influencing (colors or imagines that can improve the mood of people).

But why is it important to foster social interactions? According to Mettina Veenstra social interactions lead to social capital which is important for our well being and our economy. Some important issue which the research institute takes into account when creating installations for public space are: create local content, and allow people to interact with the screens by means of games for example. A list of their projects can be found on their website.

Another issue that is being researched by Novay is the integration of sensors and facial recognition technology in order to create context aware applications which can offer personalized information. The presentation was rather uncritical of the role of surveillance technology in public space.

On the fourth of December, Trouw Amsterdam hosts the Urban Screens 09 seminar, about the City as Interface, or: from urban screens to media architecture in the city. At 1 pm, the Urban Screens Reader will arrive at the venue, which will be launched at 3.45 pm.

Follow us on Twitter: #urbanscreens, and Flickr (tag: urbanscreens). A report will be available on this blog soon.
See you at Trouw!

More information is online at www.networkcultures.org/urbanscreens/09/