Brendan Griffiiths . Kieran Lynn . Ksenya Samarskaya . May 2005 . University of Oregon
In May 2005, Burt Rattan winner of the X-Prize came and spoke at the University of Oregon, as part of an open call for project proposals to be completed we designed Node, a system based around the very real problems in the future of interpersonal human communication.
>> NODE <<
Over the last decade the technology that facilitates communication has grown exponentially; whether it be cellular networks, point to point file transfer protocols, or AOL Instant Messenger, these technologies have given rise to an expanded global communication infrastructure. These devices relatively rare 10 years ago, have completely permeated our reality, and while they have made communication on a global level faster and more efficient, they have done little to facilitate communication on a local level.
Walking through campus every day it is hard to look past people who re completely encapsulated in their personal space. The widespread dissemination of the cell phones and iPods in our culture creates a mental spatial divide between individuals, their environment and the people around them.
Today we live in a Point-to-Point culture--we ascribe value to specific locations and people, and in return devalue the environment and other people that are around us. In some regards this is a necessity of living in a modern society. The over abundance of stimuli in the modern urban environment necessitates the filtering of that environment to be able to function. We have created filters both socially and personally defined that allow us to maneuver our public space in a way which suits us individually. These filters are required to accomplish even the most basic acts of human life and become increasingly necessary in our increasingly complex environment.
Node is a proposed point-to-point network within a very small geographic area that would connect people who would never ordinarily interact with one another, enabling a dialog that would otherwise be impossible. By removing the physical presence of the individual you automatically bypass a number of socially debilitating filters.
The node point-to-point network would consist of eight to fourteen telephone handsets strategically place around the University of Oregon campus, targeting high traffic areas as well as buildings in which certain groups inhabit that would normally not interact with groups in other buildings. Each handset on the network would automatically connect to all other handsets on the network automatically, in effect creating a closed party line. Each handset would be suspended from a wire suspended between two buildings on campus, to give the appearance that they were literally hanging from the sky. These handsets would be supported by prompts such as word bubbles that would draw attention to the passerby and encourage them to interact. The sheer spectacle of the suspended handset is created to entice the curiosity of the passerby, and increases the likely hood of interaction with the node system.
Node is an attempt to subtly infiltrate the personal bubble that surrounds us to some degree. The results of the conversations that may take place on this system are ones that cannot begin to be imagined--in this lies the beauty of node. Breaking barriers and opening communicating between groups is one of the biggest troubles facing the world today. Snap judgments and bureaucratic politics often close doors before they even open. Not to say that node will change the way in which the world works, but it is an experiment in localized communication to cross boundaries and open communication.