<id> component concept diagram
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<attractions> mapping concept diagram
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<interventions> "Conference Table" concept diagram
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SCENARIO SKETCH: A Cocktail Reception
Invitation
The event begins with an email inviting you to a cocktail reception for
something, briefly describing the nature of the gathering <bait>.
You are asked to RSVP via a web site where you can upload an image, video
or audio clip of yourself, or of something you wish to be represented
by <inputs>. Additionally, you are requested to select from a set
of pre-defined 'preferences' <opts> of your choice. Upon confirming
your attendance, you are offered the chance to extend this invitation
to a number of friends and associates by entering their email addresses.
These people are then emailed a similar invitation, and are asked to RSVP
accordingly.
Email addresses, <opts>, and <inputs> of confirmed guests as well as whom they, in turn, invited are stored in a database to be accessed during the event, generating an <id> and set of relations <groups> for the initial event state.
Through this process of propagation, the resulting collection of guests invited to the event is beyond control of the host and threaded with varying degrees of association.
Arrival
Upon arriving at the event, each guest is given an <object> with
an embedded RFID (Radio Frequency ID) tag associated with his or her <id>.
This <object> is part of a wireless location mapping system that
tracks one’s movements within the event space. Dispersed throughout
this space are a number of predefined <attractions>: zones within
the venue that become architectural environments whose spatial coordinates
have been mapped into the system’s data model.
Throughout the course of the event, the system tracks the movements of guests <ids>, their interaction within different <groups>, and with the various <attractions> distributed throughout the space. This information is fed back to the space in real time via a series of audio and visual <interventions> mapping states of social network as it evolves over the course of the evening.
Interventions
The following is a set of possible <interventions> for the event.
Each iteration of the event may present varying combinations <interventions>,
depending upon the parameters of the venue (size, layout) and the number
of invited guests.
Refreshment Tables
Upon entering the venue, guests encounter a series of small round tables
offering a range of refreshments – assorted cocktails, finger foods,
etc. Each table presents one type of refreshment only. When a guest approaches
a table and selects a refreshment, the system logs their choice and associates
an icon representing that selection with their <id> to be displayed
by other <interventions> throughout the venue.
Video booth
Offering guests the opportunity to record a short (6 second) video clip
of themselves, the Video booth enables the system to associate personalized
content with guests’ <ids> for display throughout the venue
by other <attractions>.
The Conference Table
The Conference Table serves as a display device revealing the networks
of relationships – the <groups> – with which the visitor
is associated. Projected onto the surface of the table is a diagram of
the entire venue, with an icon of the table itself positioned in the center.
As a guest takes a seat at the table, the system identifies her presence,
maps her location on to the diagram, displays a set of icons associated
with her <id>, and draws a series of lines connecting her to others
within her <group> throughout the venue.
History Wall
The History Wall enables guests to trace their steps back through the
course of the evening on a plan view of the venue projected onto the wall.
As a guest approaches the wall, the system identifies her presence, and
begins to trace her movements back through the venue over the course of
the night. The longer someone remains in close proximity to the wall,
the further back in time her movement is traced.
Memory Columns
Distributed throughout the venue are a series of large columns. As a guest
approaches a column, her name is projected onto the column’s surface.
As she moves away from the column, her name slowly fades at a rate proportional
to the amount of time she spent at the column.
The Last Scene
The Last Scene consists of a flat-panel display presenting statistical
data about a specific guest, and attempts to determine what her next most
likely move will be. As a guest approaches the screen, information is
displayed regarding the number of drinks she has had, the time she spent
in the bathroom, and the names of other guests she has spent the most
time with, for example. The system then attempts to project the guest's
next most likely activity based on an analysis of these statistics.
The Morning After
The following day, each guest receives an email containing a link to a
digital <log> of her interactions at the previous night’s
event and a statistical analysis mapping certain trends and anomalies.
Mapping the guest’s movements and interactions over the course of
the night from her point of view, the <log> enables guests to retrace
their steps and, via email links and a discussion forum, continue a conversation
from the night before.