SCREAM Media Screens As a Medium for Communication
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SCREAM Media Screens as a Medium for Communication Framework for the implementation of urban big screens in the public space January 2009 SCREAM team: ava fatah gen. schieck/ UCL Bartlett ghislaine boddington/body>data>space peter fink/Art2Architectur 1 CONTENT 1. INTRODUCTION 2. BACKGROUND AND AIMS 3. THE EVENTS 4. OUTPUT 5. CASE STUDY 6. CONCLUSION 7. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 8. APPENDIX APPENDIX 1 APPENDIX 2 2 1. INTRODUCTION In the last decade, big urban screens have appeared in town squares and on building facades across the UK. Dynamic moving images form new architectural material, affecting our perception and the experience of the space around us. A new form of urban space is emerging that is fundamentally different from what we have known, and it seems that we are ill-equipped to deal with and analyse it. The use of these screens brings new potential and challenges for city regulators, artists, architects, urban designers, producers, broadcasters and advertisers. Most screens at present serve mainly commercial purposes, they do not broadcast information aimed at sharing community content nor do they support public social interactions. The SCREAM project addresses these new challenges by looking at the physical urban spaces and the potential spaces created by the new technologies. We are just beginning to understand the opportunities for public information, art and community engagement. We need to see more negotiation between commercial, public and cultural interests. 2. BACKGROUND AND AIMS The project aims at influencing developments related to the sustainable implementation of urban media screens in the UK by looking at issues related to the urban screens from a multitude of perspectives. Currently there is very little information in the public domain in the UK relating to the set-up of big screens. Most local authorities do not have specific policies for the implementation and set up of big digital urban screens but rely instead on policies in relation to billboards and large-scale advertising, or sometimes on employing an external consultant to advise on issues related to the implementation of the screens. The SCREAM work targets the planning system, where all the high aspirations of a sustainable implementation of media screens and the effective integration into existing urban structures can fail if appropriate control mechanisms and developments strategies are not found and satisfactorily executed. The objectives of the SCREAM project were as follows: bring together people across all the sectors involved in the potential implementation of innovative content and the creative use of media facades and urban screens in the UK create a knowledge exchange and debate environment through workshops conducive to shared positive outputs develop a framework on how to deal with the issues of media screens as part of the planning process work out how the screens could be effectively integrated into existing urban structures enable a better understanding of the environmental impact of the displays highlight the risk of visual and noise pollution in the urban space build a common ground of understanding about the potentials of artistic and creative participation in the content development This was achieved through the SCREAM workshops: a series of workshops were held to bring together the key stakeholders in delivering sustainable implementation of the urban screens. These workshops enabled a group debate and knowledge exchange among those who play an active role in the development of urban screens and media facades in the UK. 3 3. THE EVENTS The SCREAM workshops took place on 1st September and 10th November 2008. The workshops were attended by 16 people coming from a variety of backgrounds including academic research, art, screen management, screen curation, technology providers, curators, funders and the regulator. The following organisations were represented at these events, which ran for the whole afternoon: ACE (Arts Council of England), Addictive TV, Art2Architecture, BBC Public Space Broadcasting, body>data>space, CABE (the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment), FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology), Live Site & LOCOG (London 2012 Organising Committee of the Olympic Games & Paralympic Games), ResCen Middlesex University (Centre for Research into Creation in the Performing Arts), Smartslab, Tank TV, UCL Bartlett,(University College London), University of Salford, and Urban Buzz Programme Office. The events were facilitated by body>data>space/ ResCen, Middlesex University. The main discussion points, outputs and key conclusions emerging from the SCREAM workshop are summarised below. 4. OUTPUT During the SCREAM workshops we identified the following issues as being of key importance to the implementation and realisation of the screens and their communication potential in the urban space. WHY SCREEN? It is essential to identify the true reason(s) for the deployment of an urban screen, as this will influence various factors such as the selection of the location and the way the screen content is managed. Examples include: o To energise the heart of town centres o To support regeneration strategies o To put the town on the map! o To encourage community engagement and the connection of people o To create connectivity between remote sites Regeneration: through a partnership between the BBC and the New Swindon Company Swindon, 2008 4 Connectivity: between London and New York, 2008 o For entertainment/leisure/sports o For commercial and advertising purposes Commercial monologue: Piccadilly Circus, London o As a new and innovative outlet for art and the art community o As an innovative outlet for cultural content Outlet for art, Urban Screens Supporting public engagement with interactivity: Volume by UVA Manchester, 2007 London, 2007 5 o To visually show the heritage and local history of a town - as an archive and for communities to relate to the media and the screen o For security and guidance o To provide information and education (weather, traffic, temperature, news, current affairs etc) Security on a London bus Direct messages for security reasons: Showing traffic Piccadilly Circus, London information WHO SHOULD BE INVOLVED? There is a clear necessity to combine the interests of the different stakeholders as well as identifying who should be involved in developing the final (site-specific) solution. Key players must all be involved at as many stages of the development and realisation as possible. These include: o architects, o broadcasters, o content developers/curators/managers o designers, o film makers, o funding bodies, o joint partnerships, o land developers, o real estate, o social media, o screen technologists, o screen managers, and o urban designers and planners CONTEXT When selecting the screen location there is a need to identify how: the spatial properties, and the nature of the urban space could relate to the type of screen content. For instance, wide or narrow, open or closed, highly integrated or isolated urban spaces. Spaces with a high movement flow or low movement flow of people/transport or city activities. the selection of the screen location might contribute to the aims mentioned above without negatively affecting the use of the space in the city as a whole. For instance, drawing people to the screen location but not by completely emptying other spaces. 6 the screen could be part of the building fabric from the beginning, integrated into the architecture and the built environment and whether it is possible to utilise the facilities already in place such as electricity. to create a balance between places with high foot fall/low foot fall, the type of content, and the intended impact on the space and the people in the space. to enable content curators to play a more active role in defining different aspects related to the screen (in addition to the content), such as appearance, dimensions, location. Currently the design of the screen in the UK is lacking (most often a framed rectangular heavy structure with little concern for the aesthetics of the space it exists within). Sponsors offer the screens and the content curators are happy that the screen is there. to ensure the best results for community and public engagement by working with artists/creatives and the relevant stakeholders from the start of the development. CONTENT The screen content will succeed only if it is directed at the public and is accepted by the public. i.e. it is truly there FOR the public. The content could be: Informative and/or entertaining Stimulating and energising the crowd in relation to an event Mood setting by providing ambient light/sound Engaging by facilitating various social interactions Creatively gathered from user-generated content made, for instance, by the local communities, many of whom have shifted immensely in how they view interactivity and public digital media When generating the screen content and the relation to the viewer there is a need to identify: how the screen can play a positive role in engaging the viewer with the urban space by including the various types of users and activities that take place within that particular space. ways that engage the viewer with other activities in the urban space in a positive sense. Creating a balance between engaging people but also giving them the freedom to be left alone is key. different types contents that can act as a mood enhancer rather than only as information or news display (especially negative news). how the screen can serve as a platform for showcasing creative projects and facilitate wider discussion of regional issues and avoid having one view of the world „Can we identify ways into getting people back into political dialogue through the deployment of the screen?‟ lessons learned from successful examples and look at successful examples in the performance world that could advance screen thinking and approach. 7 CONTENT & TECHNOLOGY Screen technology could be ambient, connecting between different sites (networked), triggering interaction between people and people, people and the screen or self generated/ automated content aggregation.