So, what is the future of the publishing industry?
Will it move completely into the cyberspace?
Will we read magazines from our ever-minimizing computer/mobile phone screens? In isolation? In virtual reality?
If so, how does it going to affect our communities and community spirit?
I tend to believe that community bonds, in the traditional sense of the word, are formed via personal or at least semi-personal interactions among individuals. Even if the interactions are stimulated or mediated using digital technologies.
During my research for the project I came across a media design firm called Local Projects. On their website they claim that although technology facilitates their work, storytelling is at its heart:
Despite the migration of many of our experiences to an online space, we're interested in how media plays a role in a real physical space. When that space is large, we delight in spectacular media installations that seamlessly integrate architecture and media. In physical environments of all sizes, we seek to facilitate connections between strangers. When our work becomes the instrument for dialogue between two visitors, we call that "triangulation," and we consider it one of the holy grails of our design work.
I got particularly interested in one of their projects called "Memory Maps" where they constructed a structure similar to subway car with large maps of the city inside. People were invited to go in, write up the memories they associated with various parts of the city on small pieces of paper and pin them on the maps. The surprising outcome of the installation was that complete strangers interacting with the structure started talking to each other and share their personal experiences.
Jake Barton from Local Projects called it "triangulation", which is precisely what I am after in my RSA project. Watch the clip!
