This site is being developed for a telematic installation/performance situated at Federation Square, Melbourne, Australia. www.grottoe.org/facademock
This site is being developed for a telematic installation/performance situated at Federation Square, Melbourne, Australia.Images of a façade of the SBS/ACMI building at Federation Square are projected onto the building itself. The projected image will be aligned to match the actual facade. The projected images would be altered in colour so as to superimpose a change in hue on the building surfaces.
The public will control what colours and design would be used through a simple-to-use web interface, which will present an image of the façade with basic tools for 'painting' the image, and a range of design options. This strategy would allow a participant anywhere in the world with access to the internet to determine what images will be projected. The individual designs submitted by the participants would be scheduled and played out over an evening or more, during the actual staging of the physical component of the event. The participants would be notified as to when the scheduled projections would take place.
Participants in the City of Melbourne on the night(s) of the event would be able to view the event on site, whilst those not able to physically attend would still have an opportunity to see the projections through a web cast of the event.
After the event, an archive of the project will be created on the web. This archive will contain an individual page for each participant, which will show the initial design submitted and the a picture of the actual corresponding live projection, along with any comments that the participants had entered at the time of the submission.
"Echoing the spirit of Federation, the strength of the design lies in both the uniqueness and the unification of its individual elements." Federation represents the formation of Australia as a separate national entity through the union of the separate states and territories that existed. Federation Square through its design embodies the spirit of Federation. The site's "civic, cultural and commercial uses are planned, not as discrete unrelated elements but as integrated, interdependent activities. The design promotes those 'invisible' connections characteristic of a dynamic urban village. This is achieved through the use of an extensive network of arcades and fluid public spaces, linking human-scale buildings. These provide a high degree of 'connectivity' between the site's principal elements.."
The project, to be staged during the Federation celebrations, attempts to extend the ideas inherent in the design of Federation Square and those of the Federation of Australia. The contribution of the public to the event represents an attempt to unify the diverse and dispersed Australian public in an integrated and interdependent activity, through the facilities provided by telecommunications networks. The invisible connections inherent in the structures are reflected and extended by the virtual participation of the public through the internet. Connectivity between the sites principal elements is reinterpreted as connectivity amongst the participants extending the architects' intentions beyond the physical and into virtual spaces.
The project gives the public the opportunity in an unobtrusive and ephemeral way to comment on the building's narrative implications as intended by the architects. Through playful colouration of the façade the public has a chance to voice an opinion about the narrative that is being imposed. This opportunity signifies to the public a commitment to the engagement and inclusion of the public in the uses of public spaces.
The public is also given access to the means of production in an unprecedented and highly accessible way. The highly interactive nature of the work replaces intimidation with intimacy as the project requires a high level of involvement. Participants become active agents in the work rather than passive observers. The privileged position of the artist is reduced, the artist becoming a type of facilitator rather than sole and exclusive creator of works.
Furthermore, the connections that will be made with the Project reach beyond the physical borders of this country. The accessibility provided through the internet allows for the participation of the international public. This gesture is one of international goodwill. As we move into an era where international politics are the concern of everyone, the dissolving of physical space and blurring of boundaries and time will be a sign of a more peaceful future.
Excerpts from "Federation Square Introducing Commercial Opportunities" Page 4
NB. This project will only be possible if funding can be secured for the projection equipment required. Please email for collaboration/funding/further information.