TroikaTronix Forum: Isadora: User Announcements: creative opportunities with outdoor LED giant screens


	MAIN INDEX	SEARCH POSTS	WHO'S ONLINE	LOG IN

Home: Isadora: User Announcements:
creative opportunities with outdoor LED giant screens

boynoodle
New User

Aug 7, 2007, 3:46 PM

Post #1 of 2 (1310 views)
Shortcut

creative opportunities with outdoor LED giant screens	Can't Post

Hello all…

I work upon a not-for-profit project initiated by the BBC/British Broadcasting Corporation, which involves the installation of giant outdoor LED screens in major UK towns and cities.

The purpose of these is for the showcasing of creative talent; specifically within each region but also across the UK and indeed the world. Be it film, video, animation, programming, interactive media arts and also live activities.

I myself manage the giant screen in the city of Liverpool, but also look after interactive and artistic content across the entire network (to date including Manchester, Birmingham, Hull, Bradford, Rotherham, Derby, Leeds, Liverpool and forthcoming in Swindon).

We are particularly keen to encourage motion-sensitive response and public interactivity utilizing on-screen surveillance-style cameras that point into the public space below. Here in Liverpool we have been the development site for this type of installation; see below:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bigscreens/

http://www.icdc.org.uk/portfolio_BigScreen.aspx

http://future.iftf.org/2006/12/futures_thinkin.html

http://www.hmcinteractive.co.uk/digital_grass.php

http://www.bbc.co.uk/liverpool/content/articles/2007/02/27/bigscreen_rednose_feature.shtml

We are always looking for more applications, be they ‘ambient’ (capable of running as part of general operations, dipping in and out throughout the day or night), ’active’ (requiring street-level management, from fencing to stewards and/or additional infrastructure for a realisable time period or one-off events), overnight ‘muteloops’ (screens operate 24/7, with audio, but go silent from midnight until 6am… this is a time when we can experiment with self-generating weirdness to entertain clubbers and night owls!), or any other form you can think of.

I’ll be honest, we operate with very little budget and payment is not always possible, but SOMETIMES it is, especially when our respective city leaders get all excited about a project and throw some cash our way. In my own patch of Liverpool, I am particularly looking for motion-sensitive works to showcase during 2008 when the city celebrates European Capital of Culture… and I’m determined to locate some funds to help make this happen.

At worst? Suitable projects feature upon an exciting, emerging platform that is still so experimental that no one, not anywhere in the world, really and truly knows what works and what doesn’t. How do I know? Because I’m also producing the arts and events programme for the largest international conference on the topic:

http://www.manchesterurbanscreens.org.uk/

I’m sure you want to know about size, right? Typically 26 square metres, LED, around 10 metres high.

Each site has a high-spec PC and mini-Mac, each with a feed of the on-screen camera (which can pan, tilt and zoom in or out for the desired angle), which we use for applications of this type. A work might typically be scheduled to appear 5x per day for half an hour each time.

What say you? Anyone? Interactive artworks? Responsive applications using a live video camera feed? The kudos, or the cash? You lot are the brains, while I and my colleagues provide the flesh-sacrifice required in running these inspiring yet occasionally infuriating behemoths.

Hello? (sniff)

Bren

Barret
Novice

Aug 18, 2007, 11:25 AM

Post #2 of 2 (1206 views)
Shortcut

Re: [boynoodle] creative opportunities with outdoor LED giant screens [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hello Bren,

It's a shame I didn't come across this thread earlier, I was down in Canary Wharf a couple of weeks ago discussing the lack of imagination we see on the public screen in the area, its refreshing to hear that your after ideas for the BBC screens.

Saying that though I've come across the screens in Hull (on a Saturday night, which was showing a Graham Norton show or equivalent, and to be honest I was deeply shocked and disappointed that a lowest common denominator TV show was allowed to be shown in a public square, surly people will be staying in if they want to watch that crap. ) and then again in Birmingham, which was showing some football match. Both times the screens felt nothing but intrusive on the public space.
Content for public screens is a contentious issue but its great to hear the BBC throwing down the gauntlet.
I'm based in Nottingham, we've recently had a projection screen established onto our main theatre. A year or so ago there seemed to be much talk of the creative possibilities of the content to be shown, but unfortunately the whole project seems to have been taken over by the local businesses and so are I've seen nothing but advertising on the thing. On a good note our independent cinema (The Broadway) has recently had a projection system set up to it exterior windows the whole project look likes there will be real potential for creative work - they have recently had a call out for film makers for content.

Lets hope you get a good response.

Barret

Search for (options)