Airport Commission: Terminal Zero One

David Clark - Jeff Howard - Chris Mendis - Shelley Simmons

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Project Description:

We propose to create a series of interactive flash animations using exclusively the icons found in airport signage. The work will be a witty and playful exploration that will appeal to children and adults alike. Using the reduced black & white figures will make the project inviting and familiar. The piece will not use language so that the project is accessible for a wider audience.

The work will be animated and authored in Flash with some possible 3-D elements. The visual design will be constrained by the stark B&W vocabulary of airport signage, although we may expand on the available signs somewhat. Animations will be played as the project is in a waiting state, however, as users interact with the project they will be able to delve deeper into the narrative.  The work will go through a story boarding process, a proof of concept, a prototype, an animated storyboard and finally a finished project.
 
We are looking to consider how data streams, RSS feeds, and mobile phone interaction can be incorporated into the narratives to create a stronger connection between the story lines and the environment the project inhabits. For instance a phone number will appear that the user can phone and the icon of a person will be animated to pick up the icon of a phone allowing the user to talk to the character.

Technical Requirements:

• Projector(s)
• 1-2 computers
• Input device (ie. touch screen)
• Video camera
• Internet connection
• Networking device

Technical Implementation:

• A projector will be used to display a combination of previously recorded and live video from the airport as well as composited animations.
• A computer will be needed for processing the live video, collecting rss feeds of arrival / departure times, running a call centre application and to output the project to display on the projector(s).
• A touch screen will be used for users to navigate the interface and explore the narrative of the project.
• An Internet connection will be used to collect rss feeds as well as make the project viewable online for a more personal experience.

Bios:

We came together at the Canadian Film Centre where we produced a non-linear film entitled "Meanwhile" (www.meanwhile.ca). We bring to our team backgrounds in visual art, filmmaking, programming, animation and production management. We are interested in opportunities to make creative projects that expand the idea of narrative using new media tools.

David Clark

David Clark is a media artist and filmmaker who lives in Halifax, Canada. He is known for his net.art piece “A is for Apple” and his feature film “Maxwell's Demon”. He studied at the Whitney Program in New York and received a MFA in sculpture from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. For the last 20 years he has shown work internationally in museums, galleries, festivals, on the internet and on television. His work has screened at over 100 festivals including Sundance, SIGGRAPH, Transmediale in Berlin, FILE in Sao Paulo, and the Museum of Moving Images in New York. In 2003 “A is for Apple” won the “Best in Show” at SXSW Interactive in Austen, Texas. In 2005 MICA galleries in Baltimore organized a retrospective of his work. David Clark teaches Intermedia and film at NSCAD University in Halifax. David Clark's homepage is www.chemicalpictures.net.

Jeff Howard

Jeff Howard is an emerging artist in the New Media industry. While completing an Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree in Multimedia and Communication Studies (Cultural Studies Stream) at McMaster University, Jeff developed a wide range of skills to exercise his talents. As an accomplished musician he has found it to be a natural transition into working as a sound technician.  As well, his work as a photographer has been published in various magazines across Canada and been part of several gallery exhibitions.  He was recently a resident in the Interactive Art and Entertainment Programme at the Canadian Film Centre.

Chris Mendis

Chris Mendis is a web developer and software engineer; recently graduated from the University of Toronto's Computer Science programme. He has done website and content management system development for U of T and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. His recent forays into technical implementations of web authoring for interactive art projects are a result of his residency in the Habitat New Media Lab at the Canadian Film Centre, where he is completing the TELUS Interactive Art and Entertainment Programme.

Shelley Simmons

Shelley Simmons is an emerging new media producer and filmmaker. Her background is in business research and account management in the finance industry, marketing for social issues and event producing in new media as well as a degree in Fine Arts Cultural Studies and new media from York University. She lived in Europe and the UK for several years with recent journeys to India and the United Arab Emirates. She has recently worked for Habbo Hotel on-line project. Having experimented in interactive narrative, Shelley aspires to continue exploring fresh ways of telling stories through the possibilities of new media.