The next edition of the BEYOND MEDIA festival -which will take place at the Stazione Leopolda in Florence, Italy, July 9-17, 2009- will once again offer the opportunity to enhance the architectural discourse by means of a wider awareness of the role of the media of communication in the professional, academic and public field.

The ninth edition of the Florence festival is titled “VISIONS”.

It seems as if contemporary architecture lost, in the last years, its ability to pursue broad visions, to collect with a wide outlook the complex transformations of the built environment, to lead its thoughts and conscience beyond that which is usual, empirical, and visible. The massive production and consumption of architectural images resulted in a greater vicinity, on the part of the general public, to design issues. But, at the same time, they produced an alteration in the way people conceive architecture, and affected the ability and the opportunity to generate visions, and hence theories, which are deeply rooted in our times but, at the same time, are receptive towards new possible scenarios.

With “VISIONS”, the BEYOND MEDIA festival suggests to carefully think over topics of figuration and representation, and will put forward more effective visions which might be useful in tracing the outlines of our possible future.

via: beyondmedia.it

After a long break, Project Blinkenlights is coming back big time in Toronto, Canada this year. Targeting the landmark building of Toronto City Hall, the group is participating in this year’s Nuit Blanche all-night art event on October 4th, 2008. The installation’s name “Stereoscope” reflects the special nature of the building with its two curved, opposing facades effectively creating a three-dimensional appearance.

Not having rested in the recent years, Project Blinkenlights has developed new technology to wirelessly control the lights placed behind the 960 windows of City Hall allowing for a large scale visual concert during the night in downtown Toronto. As usual, Project Blinkenlights invites the public to be a part of the installation by opening up a variety of ways to interact with and provide content for Stereoscope. Toronto City HallToronto City HallAmong the more traditional features, everybody can play classic computer games on the facade simply by using a mobile phone.

The two upper parts of each tower serve as dedicated playgrounds each offering separate telephone numbers for individual gameplay. These numbers will be published on-site beginning the week before Nuit Blanche so that people can get the information where they need it – at Nathan Philips Square in front of City Hall in Toronto. A simple animation tool and open animation data formats enable you to to create simple movies for Stereoscope – addressing one of four parts of the whole facade. Focusing on simple, low-resolution imagery, Project Blinkenlights wants to revive the spirit of the original Blinkenlights installation in Berlin that obtained its charme from the down-to-earth, barebones design of low-res imagery.

via: blinkenlights.net
images by fiedel

Ars Electronica’s outstanding international reputation assures it a place in the limelight during Linz’s term as European Capital of Culture in 2009. The city is now creating an appropriate architectural setting for this starring role by expanding the Ars Electronica Center. The planning is the work of Treusch architecture, Vienna.

The new Ars Electronica Center is a one-of-a-kind facility. Its uniqueness is betokened by its external form. This bold architectural statement is an instant highlight within the Linz cityscape’s ensemble, yet it still sets itself apart at first—none of its edges run parallel, everything appears skewed, elements simultaneously pulling apart and merging together. A structure that’s constantly assuming new forms depending on the perspective from which it’s viewed. And one that withholds revelation of its scope and dimensions until the moment of direct physical encounter.

More than 5000m ² of glass facade covering the new Ars Electronica Center was assembled with 1100 LED light strips (RGBW – Red, Green, Blue and White High Power LED `s) . Each of the approximately 4400 channels (RGBW 4 Channel light bar) is individually adressable and adjustable between 0-100%. Imagery from patterns to homogeneous color surfaces are possible. The result is a holistic entity, a striking highlight of the Linz cityscape, and the architectural counterpart of the Lentos Museum of Modern Art on the opposite bank of the Danube. Overall, this project uses about 40 000 high power LEDs, 1100 pcs LED drivers, about 20km cable, several distributors and controls. By using the latest LED driver technology, the average electricity consumption is up to 10 kWh at night.

via: AEC, ledfassaden.at, Treusch Architektur
Photos: AEC / rubra

This is an example of an ephemeral 3D Media Architecture only existing for a blink of time – on the occasion of the opening of the new Palm Jumeirah in Dubai; fits perfectly as a start into the new year: We wish a glamorous 2009 to all our readers and friends!

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