>
> I would like to share with you my project for the
> discussion "The hybrid city as an interface". This is focused on sound and
> the practice of listening to the everyday life acoustic environment. Based
> on ethnographic research and artistic practice I have created an interface
> "Sounding Underground".
> Interweaving three cities' experiences: London, Mexico and Paris, it's a
> hybrid of our urban contemporary experience:
>
> Sounding Underground
> http://soundingunderground.org
>
> By Ximena Alarcón
>
> Description:
>
> This practice-led research project studied commuters¹ perceptions of their
> daily-life soundscape in underground public transport systems, taking case
> studies of Paris and México City as counterparts of the London Underground.
> The results form the basis for the creation of a Œscore¹ that becomes a
> user¹s interface in an Internet-based sonic environment: Sounding
> Underground. The score is composed of spaces from each city, such as
> Entrance, Tickets, Corridor, Platform and Carriage, a unique space from each
> city, and four shared spaces, such as amplified voice, steps, doors, and
> trains arriving. Each space is subdivided by categories, based on the
> selection of sounds made by commuters, and on the path that they take to
> complete their metro journey.
>
> This environment allows commuters, through interactive options, to
> experience a process of listening and remembering, provoking the expression
> of an aural urban collective memory, through the narrative of an underground
> journey. Interactivity, understood as ³Listening and Remembering², has taken
> two main forms: navigation, including written feedback, on the web, and an
> off-line networked improvisation for groups of four commuters who used their
> voices to express memories. The sound material has been recorded and chosen
> by commuters, as part of a multi-layered ethnographic process. In the case
> of México, they have also chosen the images. This approach strives to make
> commuters contributors in the creation of these environments, and
> furthermore performers and narrators of their commuting experience.
>
> Although the project is addressed primarily to commuters, as the main
> contributors, any Internet user can access to the sonic environment and have
> a unique listening experience that reconnects them with the material and
> metaphorical underground. Without the need to register as users, people can
> leave their memories expressed in text, contributing to the ³Listening and
> Remembering² page.
>
> Linking urban soundscapes through commuters¹ memories from different
> cultures, sharing the same infrastructure technology, invites us to
> acknowledge symbolic, social, economic and political issues of mobility in
> contemporary cities, from the perspective of commuters.
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Ximena
>
> On 15/07/2010 00:21, "Dimitris Charitos" <vedesign@otenet.gr
> <http://vedesign@otenet.gr> > wrote:
>
>> > Dear YASMINers,
>
> A moderated discussion on the subject of "The hybrid city as
>> > an interface"
> will take place in the YASMIN_discussions mailing list
>> > forum
> (www.media.uoa.gr/yasmin <http://www.media.uoa.gr/yasmin> ), starting from
> today and until the end of
>> > July.
> The discussion will be moderated by Dimitris Charitos and Prof.
>> > Martin
> Rieser, along with Daphne Dragona, Haris Rizopoulos and Iouiliani
>> > Theona as
> respondents. We intend to continue the discussion, if there is
>> > interest from
> list participants, after the summer.
>
> Below you will find a text
>> > with more info on the particular discussion
> topic. Also we have attached short
>> > CVs of all respondents who will
> participate.
>
> We are looking forward to you
>> > participation and involvement.
>
> Kind regards
>
> Dimitris Charitos
> Assistant
>> > Professor, Department of Communication and Media Studies
> University of
>> > Athens
>
>
> "The hybrid city as an interface"
>
> In the beginning of the 21st
>> > century, urban environments, within which
> social life evolves, are radically
>> > being reordered by technological systems
> and networks. Mobile telephony has
>> > restructured the way people socialize
> within urban space (Plant, 2001).
>> > Multi-user virtual environments redefine
> the meaning of mediated communication
>> > by immersing communicating
> participants into a synthetic spatial context. ICTs
>> > and new media may also
> be used for augmenting physical environments in order
>> > to communicate
> meaning. The contemporary urban environment already
>> > incorporates various
> kinds of representations of reality, communicated to us
>> > all via various
> media and appropriate display systems (most of these
>> > representations are
> visual, i.e. billboards, video projections, wall
>> > paintings, closed circuit
> TV, touch screens, etc). These environments may
>> > also incorporate systems
> that capture visual, auditory, and other types of
>> > information regarding
> human activity and, consequently, utilize this input to
>> > affect the process
> of generating digital representations. The most advanced
>> > form of such
> systems is pervasive and ubiquitous computing systems (Weiser,
>> > 1991). It
> could then be suggested (Charitos, 2005) that the incorporation
>> > of
> information and communication technology (ICT) systems results in
>> > an
> electronic enhancement of the everyday urban environment and
>> > that
> communication with these environments and with other citizens who exist
>> > and
> act within them is mediated by these systems.
>
> The convergence of new
>> > mobile telecommunication networks, geographical
> positioning systems and
>> > interactive graphical interfaces on mobile devices,
> as they are already being
>> > utilized in a series of location-based activities,
> have begun to reveal the
>> > potential for new forms of interpersonal
> communication. These systems may
>> > allow groups of people to interact with
> each other, while being aware of each
>> > other's location at all times via
> representations on mobile interfaces, which
>> > have a predominantly spatial
> character. The synchronous experience of a mobile
>> > spatial interface and of
> the non-mediated physical environment, ultimately
>> > affords a hybrid
> (synthetic and physical) spatial experience, in the context
>> > of which novel
> forms of social interaction and cultural practices may
>> > occur.
>
> Hybrid cities could therefore be seen as spatial interfaces
>> > affording
> experiences which involve both virtual and physical spatial elements
>> > and
> information and which may synchronously support computer-mediated
>> > and
> interpersonal communication. Such emerging types of communication may
>> > lead
> to revolutionary new ways of inhabiting urban space, ultimately
>> > transforming
> the way we perceive, experience and think about our cities and
>> > our everyday
> life within them. These developments certainly call for
>> > reconsidering the
> way in which urban environments are conceived of and
>> > designed, by taking
> into account the incorporation of these ICT systems, since
>> > they are
> inseparably woven into the fabric of everyday life within the urban
>> > context.
> What is even more important, however, is the impact of these
>> > phenomena on
> everyday life in the city, at a social and cultural level.
>
> The
>> > "Hybrid City as an Interface" discussion will attempt to approach a
> series of
>> > issues relating to the emergence of these phenomena and will
> mainly focus on
>> > the following topics:
> . user generated maps & collective cartographies :
>> > issues of
> appropriation and expropriation
> . the internet and the metropolis:
>> > similarities between the virtual
> space and the real space as factories of
>> > knowledge and information
> . the city as a gamespace: tracing the playful
>> > features of the new
> modes of interactivity and
>> > participation
> . psychogeographies & the contemporary city: discussing the
>> > wide use
> of a 60s situationist notion for the definition of digital
>> > city
> interventions and applications
> . Whose city exactly? Reconsidering
>> > spatial production processes
> through ludic, user inter-actions within the
>> > urban context.
> . Which side are you on (on the threshold)? Outlining the
>> > relations
> between the virtual and physical experience of the city, as well as
>> > the new
> social dynamics of this hybrid urban context for everyday
>> > life.
>
> References
> Charitos, D. (2005). Virtual reality: A new kind of
>> > human-computer interface
> or a new communication medium? Issues of
>> > Communication, 2, 83-99, Athens:
> Kastaniotis.
> Plant, S. (2001). On the mobile:
>> > The effects of mobile telephones on social
> and individual life. Study
>> > commissioned by Motorola. Retrieved August 2,
> 2007, from
>> > http://www.motorola.com/mot/doc/0/234_MotDoc.pdf
> Weiser, M. (1991). The
>> > computer for the twenty-first century. Scientific
> American, 265(3),
>> > 94-104.
>
> BIOGRAPHICAL INFO of DISCUSSION RESPONDENTS
>
> Dimitrios Charitos is an
>> > assistant professor at the Faculty of Communication
> and Media Studies of the
>> > University of Athens. He teaches "Human-Computer
> Communication", "Art &
>> > Technology", "Visual Communication", "Mediated
> Environments". He has studied
>> > architectural design, computer aided design
> and has a PhD on interactive
>> > design and virtual environments. He has taught
> at an undergraduate and
>> > postgraduate level since 1994 in Scotland and
> Greece. He has authored or
>> > co-authored more than 70 publications in books,
> journals or conference
>> > proceedings. His artistic work involves electronic
> music, audiovisual,
>> > non-interactive or interactive, site-specific
> installations and virtual
>> > environments. (www.media.uoa.gr/~charitos
>> <http://www.media.uoa.gr/%7Echaritos> )
>
> Professor M. Rieser is a Media
>> > Artist and Theorist based in Bristol.
> Professor of Digital Creativity at De
>> > Montfort University. 2000-7 Professor
> of Digital Arts and Senior Teaching
>> > Fellow Bath Spa University , was
> Principal Lecturer in Digital Media at Napier
>> > University in Edinburgh at the
> Department of Photography, Film, and Television
>> > 1997-2000. and in post as
> Senior Lecturer in Electronic Media at UWE Bristol
>> > between 1986 - 1998. He
> set up one of the first post-graduate courses in the
>> > country in Digital Art
> and Imaging at the City of London Polytechnic, now the
>> > London Guildhall
> University 1980-85. His teaching and practice centres on new
>> > types of
> interactive art which use non-linear narrative in new media
>> > through
> Locative, interactive installations, networked art projects
>> > and
> collaborations with architects. He has acted as consultant to bodies such
>> > as
> Cardiff Bay Arts Trust , NESTA, Arkive, AHRC the Photographers
>> > Gallery
> London. External Examiner at UIAH Helsinki, St Martins University of
>> > the
> Arts and Glamorgan University Professor of Digital Ats at Bath
>> > Spa
> University 2000-2007. He recently edited: New Screen Media:
>> > Cinema/
> Art/Narrative (BFI/ZKM,
> 2002)- which combined a DVD of current
>> > research and practice in this area
> together with critical essays . He was on
>> > AHRB research leave during 2004-5
> creating a new locative work for Bath Abbey
>> > called Hosts 2006, which used
> mobile and positional technologies combined with
>> > interactive sound and video
> and has just authored a book on Locative Media
>> > Arts called The Mobile
> Audience shortly to be published by Rodopi.
>
> Daphne
>> > Dragona is a media arts curator based in Athens. Her exhibitions and
> events
>> > the last few years have focused on the notion of play and its merging
> with art
>> > as a form of networking and resistance. She has worked with Fournos
> Center for
>> > Digital Culture (Greece) , LABoral Art and Industrial Creation
> Centre (Spain),
>> > Alta Tegnologia Andina (Peru) and with the National Museum
> of Contemporary Art
>> > in Athens. She is also a PhD candidate in the Faculty of
> Communication & Media
>> > Studies of the University of Athens and a member of
> the Personal Cinema
>> > collective.
>
> Charalampos Rizopoulos is a researcher at the Department of
>> > Communication
> and Media Studies of the National and Kapodistrian University of
>> > Athens.
> After graduating from the aforementioned department in 2003, he
>> > obtained a
> MSc in Interactive Multimedia Production from the University
>> > of
> Huddersfield, UK. He is currently a doctoral candidate, conducting
>> > research
> on the communicational aspects of interacting with intelligent
>> > environments.
> His research interests include human-computer interaction,
>> > ubiquitous
> computing, virtual reality, multimedia, spatial cognition, adaptive
>> > systems,
> and computer games.
>
> Iouliani Theona is a practising architect and a
>> > researcher. She studied at
> the School of Architecture of the Aristotle
>> > University of Thessaloniki and
> later obtained a Degree from the
>> > Inter-Departmental Postgraduate Programme:
> Architectural Design - Space -
>> > Culture, in the School of Architecture of the
> National Technical University of
>> > Athens.
> She is currently a PhD Candidate in the aforementioned institution,
>> > focusing
> on subjects such as pervasive games and spatial
>> > perception.
>
>
>
> ***************************************************************
>> > *****
> Dr. Dimitrios Charitos
> Assistant Professor, Department of Communication
>> > and Media Studies
> National and Kapodistrian University
>> > of
> Athens
> e-mail: vedesign at otenet
>> > dot gr
> URL:
>> > www.media.uoa.gr/~charitos <http://www.media.uoa.gr/%7Echaritos>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
>
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>
--
CHARALAMPOS RIZOPOULOS
PhD Candidate / Research Associate
Dept. of Communication and Media Studies
National & Kapodistrian University of Athens
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