Luminapolis

Schlagwort: Media Architecture

  • Gernot Tscherteu: Medien Architektur Biennale in WienGernot Tscherteu: Media Architecture Biennale in Vienna

    Vom 7. bis 31. Oktober findet im Künstlerhaus Wien die Media Architecture Biennale 2010 statt. Luminapolis sprach mit Dr. Gernot Tscherteu (reality lab – mediadesign and rearch), einem der Kuratoren der Ausstellung. Tscherteu gehört zu den führenden Köpfen der noch jungen Szene. Nach der Luminale 2010 gab es eine Reihe von Medien+Architektur-Ereignissen wie das laufende Media Facades Festival Europe 2010 oder der Workshop auf der Ars Electronica. Die Wiener Biennale dürfte der Höhepunkt dieser Veranstaltungsserie werden.


    Luminapolis
    : Dr. Tscherteu, what is your personal interest in the link between media and architecture? And when did you start to be curious on this subject?

    Gernot Tscherteu
    : Well, my wife is architect and i love architecture in many ways – as a media designer. I was always interested in projects that happen beyond the computer screen. In 2004 during our work for the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, T-Mobile asked us for an artistic proposal for the facade of the new T-Center in Austria. At that time we thought the first time about a building integrated media facade system, which then was prototyped in the mediaface.net project.

    Luminapolis
    : During last Luminale you organized the Media Facade Summit in Frankfurt. Now six month later the Media Architectur Biennale follows in Vienna. What is the difference between these two events?

    Gernot Tscherteu
    : The Summit took advantage of the unique opportunity that the whole light+buidling industry and a lot of creatives comes to the Luminale and the trade show. The presentations there were intended to provide a summary of the state of the art in the field. During the Biennale there will much more time to meet and discuss into depth during our 3 days conference curated by Oliver Schürer. In our large exhibition we will show projects and the technology behind. The Biennale is our biggest project so far: It is planned since August 2009 and currently there are more than 10 persons involved in the organisation and production.

    Luminapolis
    : The public space is a very difficult sphere between privacy and publicity, commercial and social interests. A lot of project are occupying this space with media messages. I think it is difficult to find the right balance.

    Gernot Tscherteu
    : I totally agree! It is not our goal to maximise the number of Media Architectures but to maximise its quality and its usefulness for public space. We want to promote the discourse around these projects and raise the public awareness so that a common sense of responsibility and quality evolves. We cannot make aggressive led-screen technology unhappen, but we can help to discuss the important issues and bring the different stakeholders together so that the projects will become better.

    Luminapolis
    : What kind of visitors do you expect on your conference?

    Gernot Tscherteu
    : In the conference we expect four groups of stakeholders: creatives: architects and (media) designers / artists, lighting and building industry and their technical experts, media and telecommunication sector and sciences and city administration. The conference will be forum for these groups and allows the discusssion of overlapping issues in the panels as well as more specific topics in smaller groups in the workshops.

    Luminapolis
    : Do you know an example of a perfect media architecture? And can you give a discription of it?

    Gernot Tscherteu
    : We do not have a monolithic understanding of Media Architecture. The exhibition in Vienna that I curate together with Martin Tomitsch will show that there are different cultural settings in which the production of Media Architectures takes place; we call them „animated architecture“, „money architecture“, social media architecture“, „spatial media art“ and „future trends“. Each setting has its own key projects and „stars“. I personally prefer „Architecture“ – which is more than a big screen on the facade. Therefore i like the work of UNStudio, Asymptote or realities:united. But come and see yourself!

    More details >


    From October 7th to the 31st the Media Architektur Biennale 2010 takes place in the Künstlerhaus (artists‘ house) Vienna. Luminapolis spoke with Dr. Gernot Tscherteu (reality lab – mediadesign and rearch), one of the curators of the exhibition. Tscherteu is one of the leading heads of this young scene. With Luminale in 2010 a serie of media +architecture events starts like the current Media Facades Festival Europe 2010 or the workshop on the Ars Electronica. The Biennale in Vienna might become the summit of this serie.


    Luminapolis
    : Dr. Tscherteu, what is your personal interest in the link between media and architecture? And when did you start to be curious on this subject?

    Gernot Tscherteu
    : Well, my wife is architect and i love architecture in many ways – as a media designer. I was always interested in projects that happen beyond the computer screen. In 2004 during our work for the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, T-Mobile asked us for an artistic proposal for the facade of the new T-Center in Austria. At that time we thought the first time about a building integrated media facade system, which then was prototyped in the mediaface.net project.

    Luminapolis
    : During last Luminale you organized the Media Facade Summit in Frankfurt. Now six month later the Media Architectur Biennale follows in Vienna. What is the difference between these two events?

    Gernot Tscherteu
    : The Summit took advantage of the unique opportunity that the whole light+buidling industry and a lot of creatives comes to the Luminale and the trade show. The presentations there were intended to provide a summary of the state of the art in the field. During the Biennale there will much more time to meet and discuss into depth during our 3 days conference curated by Oliver Schürer. In our large exhibition we will show projects and the technology behind. The Biennale is our biggest project so far: It is planned since August 2009 and currently there are more than 10 persons involved in the organisation and production.

    Luminapolis
    : The public space is a very difficult sphere between privacy and publicity, commercial and social interests. A lot of project are occupying this space with media messages. I think it is difficult to find the right balance.

    Gernot Tscherteu
    : I totally agree! It is not our goal to maximise the number of Media Architectures but to maximise its quality and its usefulness for public space. We want to promote the discourse around these projects and raise the public awareness so that a common sense of responsibility and quality evolves. We cannot make aggressive led-screen technology unhappen, but we can help to discuss the important issues and bring the different stakeholders together so that the projects will become better.

    Luminapolis
    : What kind of visitors do you expect on your conference?

    Gernot Tscherteu
    : In the conference we expect four groups of stakeholders: creatives: architects and (media) designers / artists, lighting and building industry and their technical experts, media and telecommunication sector and sciences and city administration. The conference will be forum for these groups and allows the discusssion of overlapping issues in the panels as well as more specific topics in smaller groups in the workshops.

    Luminapolis
    : Do you know an example of a perfect media architecture? And can you give a discription of it?

    Gernot Tscherteu
    : We do not have a monolithic understanding of Media Architecture. The exhibition in Vienna that I curate together with Martin Tomitsch will show that there are different cultural settings in which the production of Media Architectures takes place; we call them „animated architecture“, „money architecture“, social media architecture“, „spatial media art“ and „future trends“. Each setting has its own key projects and „stars“. I personally prefer „Architecture“ – which is more than a big screen on the facade. Therefore i like the work of UNStudio, Asymptote or realities:united. But come and see yourself!

    More details >


  • Christoph Kronhagel: Über MediatekturChristoph Kronhagel: On Mediatecture

    Luminapolis: Christoph Kronhagel, you are founder of Kronhagel Mediatecture (Bonn/Germany). These days you publish a book on the conjunction of architecture, digital media and public space. „Mediatecture / Mediatektur“ is the title. Is mediatecture a new discipline?

    Christoph Kronhagel: Currently we have reported a great deal on Media Architecture. I prefer the term “Mediatecture”, because it describes in a more suitable way, the claim of architecture being comprehended as a media. The use of electronic media in architecture is only a secondary matter. Rather, it is all about building a link between a spot with ideas, visions and happenings (media…), so that the spot receives an individual construction (…tecture).

    Luminapolis
    : What are your personal experiences with mediatecture?

    Christoph Kronhagel
    : As a one of the founders of ag4 in Cologne in 1991, I have mediated, as a sensorial experience, the ideas and visions of many enterprises in their spatial structures, such as foyers and exhibitions. For some years now the subject “media façade” has shifted into focus and with ag4 I have developed technologies and products, in order to be able to integrate the transparent and daylight adequate media techniques on façades. Thereby, I experienced that the building of a media façade is not only a technological, but especially a contentwise and conceptual challenge. Therefore I founded Kronhagel Mediatecture in 2009 and my first job has been the book.

    Luminapolis
    : Mediafacades are interventions in the urban space. Could they be more than digital billboards? What are possibles places to realize such
    a project?


    Christoph Kronhagel
    : Billboards are like postal stamps in the façade. Mostly they are much too small in proportion to the architecture and mainly they don’t accept any creative context to the architecture or to the urbane space either. In contrast, media façades are ideally a part of the architectural concept. This can on the one hand increase the architecture’s quality and on the other hand, enable the location access to worlds, which physically through the architecture alone, cannot be entered.

    Luminapolis
    : In your book a lot of experts are discussing several aspects and possibilities of Mediatecture from the culture history to social media. Your book gives also an overview on best practice projects. You explain that mediatecture could be a tool to make urban identities visible. What are possible strategies to generate the contents?

    Christoph Kronhagel
    : It depends on the project’s business model and here one can discern between three possibilities:
    1. The media façade is part of an enterprise’s Headquarter and should uphold the Corporate Identity. The content for these projects are solidly oriented towards the communication interests of the enterprise.
    2. An enterprise or an institution affords itself a media façade in the sense of a cultural sponsoring. Within a program structure, which is conceptually oriented towards its location, there are artistic events planned, which change continuously. The promoter thereof can also be a city that wishes to distinctively express its identity and is looking for typical cultural impression for its urban space.
    3. A real estate investor wishes to fashion his building attractively for the occupants with a media façade. He wants to receive back a good part of his investment through advertising revenue. Classic advertising on a media façade can only be partially accomplished, as it is not simple to become a license therefore – which is understandable, if you want to set up simple ad-clips on the facade. It would be preferable to operate the media façade exclusively with one or several Brands and intelligent and programmatic to link execution with the Brand’s Marketing Strategy. But than it is the best way to construct hybrid content between marketing strategies and cultural concepts.

    Luminapolis
    : I think mediatecture is a revolution in architecture because the archtects have to create the process of reception with the buildingowners and the users of the spaces permanently. Do you agree?

    Christoph Kronhagel
    : The great difference between architecture and mediatecture is that with the media façade the project really only begins when the façade is technically and creatively accomplished. It is not that the media technique alone is fascinating, but which performance the media façade shows. And for it not to get wasted away by the continuous repetitions, the Content Design must be processually applied and always stimulate new situations and moods. That is the real important job!

    Luminapolis
    : What is your next project?

    Christoph Kronhagel
    : I accompany the project „Bayer Media Sculpture“ for ag4 media facade GmbH in regard to creation and media design. We hope to be able to inaugurate this project this year. Besides this, I am waiting for the decisions concerning other delivered concepts.

    Book-Tipp: Christoph Kronhagel: Mediatektur

    Weblink: http://www.mediatecture.info/forum
    Luminapolis: Christoph Kronhagel, you are founder of Kronhagel Mediatecture (Bonn/Germany). These days you publish a book on the conjunction of architecture, digital media and public space. „Mediatecture / Mediatektur“ is the title. Is mediatecture a new discipline?

    Christoph Kronhagel: Currently we have reported a great deal on Media Architecture. I prefer the term “Mediatecture”, because it describes in a more suitable way, the claim of architecture being comprehended as a media. The use of electronic media in architecture is only a secondary matter. Rather, it is all about building a link between a spot with ideas, visions and happenings (media…), so that the spot receives an individual construction (…tecture).

    Luminapolis
    : What are your personal experiences with mediatecture?

    Christoph Kronhagel
    : As a one of the founders of ag4 in Cologne in 1991, I have mediated, as a sensorial experience, the ideas and visions of many enterprises in their spatial structures, such as foyers and exhibitions. For some years now the subject “media façade” has shifted into focus and with ag4 I have developed technologies and products, in order to be able to integrate the transparent and daylight adequate media techniques on façades. Thereby, I experienced that the building of a media façade is not only a technological, but especially a contentwise and conceptual challenge. Therefore I founded Kronhagel Mediatecture in 2009 and my first job has been the book.

    Luminapolis
    : Mediafacades are interventions in the urban space. Could they be more than digital billboards? What are possibles places to realize such
    a project?


    Christoph Kronhagel
    : Billboards are like postal stamps in the façade. Mostly they are much too small in proportion to the architecture and mainly they don’t accept any creative context to the architecture or to the urbane space either. In contrast, media façades are ideally a part of the architectural concept. This can on the one hand increase the architecture’s quality and on the other hand, enable the location access to worlds, which physically through the architecture alone, cannot be entered.

    Luminapolis
    : In your book a lot of experts are discussing several aspects and possibilities of Mediatecture from the culture history to social media. Your book gives also an overview on best practice projects. You explain that mediatecture could be a tool to make urban identities visible. What are possible strategies to generate the contents?

    Christoph Kronhagel
    : It depends on the project’s business model and here one can discern between three possibilities:
    1. The media façade is part of an enterprise’s Headquarter and should uphold the Corporate Identity. The content for these projects are solidly oriented towards the communication interests of the enterprise.
    2. An enterprise or an institution affords itself a media façade in the sense of a cultural sponsoring. Within a program structure, which is conceptually oriented towards its location, there are artistic events planned, which change continuously. The promoter thereof can also be a city that wishes to distinctively express its identity and is looking for typical cultural impression for its urban space.
    3. A real estate investor wishes to fashion his building attractively for the occupants with a media façade. He wants to receive back a good part of his investment through advertising revenue. Classic advertising on a media façade can only be partially accomplished, as it is not simple to become a license therefore – which is understandable, if you want to set up simple ad-clips on the facade. It would be preferable to operate the media façade exclusively with one or several Brands and intelligent and programmatic to link execution with the Brand’s Marketing Strategy. But than it is the best way to construct hybrid content between marketing strategies and cultural concepts.

    Luminapolis
    : I think mediatecture is a revolution in architecture because the archtects have to create the process of reception with the buildingowners and the users of the spaces permanently. Do you agree?

    Christoph Kronhagel
    : The great difference between architecture and mediatecture is that with the media façade the project really only begins when the façade is technically and creatively accomplished. It is not that the media technique alone is fascinating, but which performance the media façade shows. And for it not to get wasted away by the continuous repetitions, the Content Design must be processually applied and always stimulate new situations and moods. That is the real important job!

    Luminapolis
    : What is your next project?

    Christoph Kronhagel
    : I accompany the project „Bayer Media Sculpture“ for ag4 media facade GmbH in regard to creation and media design. We hope to be able to inaugurate this project this year. Besides this, I am waiting for the decisions concerning other delivered concepts.

    Book-Tip: Christoph Kronhagel: Mediatecture

    Weblink: http://www.mediatecture.info/forum

  • Susa Pop: Interview Media Facades Festival Europe 2010Susa Pop: Interview Media Facades Festival Europe 2010

    Am 27. August hat das Media Facades Festival Europe 2010 Premiere. Luminapolis sprach mit der künstlerischen Leiterin Susa Pop, die sich seit Jahren mit dem Thema Medienfassaden, digitaler Kultur und öffentlichem Raum beschäftigt. Das Festival verbindet sieben europäische Metropolen miteinander, in denen jeweils Projekte unter dem gemeinsamen Dach vernetzt werden. Mehr zum Programm des Festivals hier>

    Luminapolis: Susa Pop, you are artistic director of the Media Facades Festival Europa 2010. Who are the others? It is a trans european cooperation of several institutions.

    Susa Pop
    : I initiated the Media Facades Festival Europe 2010 (MFF2010) together with Mirjam Struppek / Interactionfield as a follow-up project of the Media Facades Festival Berlin 2008 (MFF2008) where we explored the cultural and communicative potential of mainly commercially used urban screens. We invited 24 Berlin based artists and media designers to develop site-specific screening projects with the possibility of social participation. Based on this experience of MFF2008 and on the fact that most public screens are operated by internet-based technologies, we developed the idea of interconnecting seven European metropoles with the medium of urban screens. We are collaborating with new media experienced institutions and curators like Stefan Mittleboeck / Ars Electronica Futurelab, Marie-Laure Delaby from iMAL / Brussels, Heather Corcoran from FACT/ Liverpool, Minna Tarkka from m-cult / Helsinki, Nerea Calvillo from Medialab-Prado / Madrid and Eszter Bircsák from Kitchen Budapest. In a collaborative process we selected the artists’ projects which will be presented in Joint Broadcasting Events from 27 August to 2 October 2010.

    Luminapolis
    : What kind of art do you present at the festival and what are the main topics? Street art and Urban Intervention are the keywords for new art initiatives for the public space.

    Susa Pop
    : We have been developing main curatorial topics with a special focus on the following themes:
    • Connected Cities: Joint Broadcasting projects that happen simultaneously and interactively across the borders
    • Urban Activism: Reclaim the Screens! An activist approach to opening screens for the urban community
    • Human Screens: Human processes are visualised on media facades
    • Organic Cities: Public Data projects use information resources from the environments and develop a real-time software programme for live streaming
    • Public Playing: Games designed as an interaction catalyst for the public audience
    • European Dialogue: Projects that especially support intercultural exchange and connect the local scenes through the media facades infrastructure of the participating cities
    • Citizens Journalism: Research and participatory projects of local scenes
    • Recontextualise: A shared video platform on a central server to create local screening programmes

    Luminapolis
    : What are the places in Europa where the festival activities take place?

    Susa Pop
    : MFF 2010 is a pilot project of interconnecting 7 European metropoles with the medium of urban screens and media facades. The Joint Broadcasting Events will take place in Berlin, Budapest, Brussels, Helsinki, Liverpool, Madrid and Linz. Some of the participating institutions temporarily display screening and interactive projects on the existing infrastructure of urban screens and media facades in the cities – like Helsinki, Berlin, Budapest, Brussels. The other institutions are running their own media facade like Medialab-Prado Madrid, Ars Electronica Center in Linz and FACT in Liverpool which develop more socially and ecologically sustainable programmes. The joint Broadcasting Events will take place during the weekends and are presented in local frameworks like Long Night of Museums, White Nights / Nuits Blanche etc.

    Luminapolis
    : Which technologies the artists use to create their messages?

    Susa Pop
    :For the interactive projects, they use mobile devices like mobile phones and especially developed digital interfaces like the SMSlingshot by VR/Urban. The public playing projects are based on motion-tracking camera systems. Then there are also Public Data projects with especially developed software to visualise the environmental and social processes.

    Luminapolis
    : And what is the perspective of media facades. When becomes the movie Blade Runner reality?

    Susa Pop
    : Media Facades and Screens are a new communication medium at the interface of the public space and the digital worlds. Our main idea and goal is to reclaim the screens for the public audience and contribute to a sustainable urban media development in our cities. In my opinion urban screens and media facades have a high potential of community building and regeneration of the public space. They can open digital stages for the public audiences, visualise social processes and interconnect local scenes of other cities.
    On August 27th the Media Facades Festival Europe will have its première. Luminapolis made an interview with Susa Pop, artistic director. She explores the interferences between media facades, digital culture and public space since years. The festival will connect seven European metropoles with their site-specific projects under the common roof of the festival. The programme you find here>

    Luminapolis: Susa Pop, you are artistic director of the Media Facades Festival Europa 2010. Who are the others? It is a trans european cooperation of several institutions.

    Susa Pop
    : I initiated the Media Facades Festival Europe 2010 (MFF2010) together with Mirjam Struppek / Interactionfield as a follow-up project of the Media Facades Festival Berlin 2008 (MFF2008) where we explored the cultural and communicative potential of mainly commercially used urban screens. We invited 24 Berlin based artists and media designers to develop site-specific screening projects with the possibility of social participation. Based on this experience of MFF2008 and on the fact that most public screens are operated by internet-based technologies, we developed the idea of interconnecting seven European metropoles with the medium of urban screens. We are collaborating with new media experienced institutions and curators like Stefan Mittleboeck / Ars Electronica Futurelab, Marie-Laure Delaby from iMAL / Brussels, Heather Corcoran from FACT/ Liverpool, Minna Tarkka from m-cult / Helsinki, Nerea Calvillo from Medialab-Prado / Madrid and Eszter Bircsák from Kitchen Budapest. In a collaborative process we selected the artists’ projects which will be presented in Joint Broadcasting Events from 27 August to 2 October 2010.

    Luminapolis
    : What kind of art do you present at the festival and what are the main topics? Street art and Urban Intervention are the keywords for new art initiatives for the public space.

    Susa Pop
    : We have been developing main curatorial topics with a special focus on the following themes:
    • Connected Cities: Joint Broadcasting projects that happen simultaneously and interactively across the borders
    • Urban Activism: Reclaim the Screens! An activist approach to opening screens for the urban community
    • Human Screens: Human processes are visualised on media facades
    • Organic Cities: Public Data projects use information resources from the environments and develop a real-time software programme for live streaming
    • Public Playing: Games designed as an interaction catalyst for the public audience
    • European Dialogue: Projects that especially support intercultural exchange and connect the local scenes through the media facades infrastructure of the participating cities
    • Citizens Journalism: Research and participatory projects of local scenes
    • Recontextualise: A shared video platform on a central server to create local screening programmes

    Luminapolis
    : What are the places in Europa where the festival activities take place?

    Susa Pop
    : MFF 2010 is a pilot project of interconnecting 7 European metropoles with the medium of urban screens and media facades. The Joint Broadcasting Events will take place in Berlin, Budapest, Brussels, Helsinki, Liverpool, Madrid and Linz. Some of the participating institutions temporarily display screening and interactive projects on the existing infrastructure of urban screens and media facades in the cities – like Helsinki, Berlin, Budapest, Brussels. The other institutions are running their own media facade like Medialab-Prado Madrid, Ars Electronica Center in Linz and FACT in Liverpool which develop more socially and ecologically sustainable programmes. The joint Broadcasting Events will take place during the weekends and are presented in local frameworks like Long Night of Museums, White Nights / Nuits Blanche etc.

    Luminapolis
    : Which technologies the artists use to create their messages?

    Susa Pop
    :For the interactive projects, they use mobile devices like mobile phones and especially developed digital interfaces like the SMSlingshot by VR/Urban. The public playing projects are based on motion-tracking camera systems. Then there are also Public Data projects with especially developed software to visualise the environmental and social processes.

    Luminapolis
    : And what is the perspective of media facades. When becomes the movie Blade Runner reality?

    Susa Pop
    : Media Facades and Screens are a new communication medium at the interface of the public space and the digital worlds. Our main idea and goal is to reclaim the screens for the public audience and contribute to a sustainable urban media development in our cities. In my opinion urban screens and media facades have a high potential of community building and regeneration of the public space. They can open digital stages for the public audiences, visualise social processes and interconnect local scenes of other cities.