This activity focuses on embedding information in public spaces and making it accessible to people walking through those spaces. The activity exploits the assumption of universal access inherent to most considerations of a future internet and a universal digital information society. Remotely located devices as well as mobile devices would both display information and be used for visitors' expression of interests and activity. These devices would communicate with a central information service that would store both descriptive content and the information on visitor activity, and would deliver tailored information to display devices.
So far, we have instantiated this activity through a prototype installation, called WebPR that aims at bridging the gap between virtual visitors to an organisation through its Web site and employees.
For many organisations, having a Web server represents an opportunity to improve their communication with the outer world. The Web server is a channel through which organisations present themselves, their projects and visions and information about their products and communicate with their customers and (virtual) visitors. In short, one of the main reasons for having an attractive Web server is to improve public relations in general.
However, the exponential popularity increase of the Web introduces an awareness gap between virtual visitors and employees. The day-to-day contact that use to be the building block of our working habits is vanishing out in favour of anonymity.
WebPR is an installation that aims at bridging this gap. Employees and visitors at the physical setting of an organisation will use WebPR to get a sense of the amount of (virtual) customers and connected persons, together with their interests and actions. This will be achieved through visualising and personifying Web traffic for the Web server of the origanisation at some central places of its physical setting, e.g. foyers, receptions, etc.
The installation will also try to close the loop, so as to allow Web visitors to get insight into both the visualisation and its physical locations. This return track will offer digital services on the Web server to serve this means.
We hope that WebPR will bring back an embryo of collaboration between digital and physical inhabitants and a more human-oriented vision to the digital age of Web servers.
More information can be found here.