CADA/CITI, PT
Time Machine
Time Machine is a piece of freeware for mobile phones, which offers its user a glimpse of their future. The seed of the idea came, on holiday three years ago, having seen the speed holidaymakers would re-create routines despite their plans to escape.
A work of ambient computing, Time Machine, reads user’s past and present movements in time and space and, using a predictive algorithm, visualises their future whereabouts. It is hoped, over time, people will reflect on how they spend time – and may feel sufficiently intrigued by the forecasts, that they’ll try to outwit the machine, by breaking habits, thus creating richer time patterns and images.
Rather than overlaying personal data onto a map, the final challenge is to create an interface, which affords subjective readings and demonstrates context and activity are inseparable. The machine knows nothing about you, it must learn; places you don’t go to, don’t exist; places you go often, become disproportionately large – not unlike the view of a child.
This project aims to explore ubiquitous computing’s limits and potential when applied in a personal context. Through a ‘caricature’ scenario, it hopes to encourage people to reflect on the age of ubicomp we’re entering fast, questioning how we might want to use, but more crucially live with such technologies.
This project is currently in a first prototype form, with plans to continue it’s development over the next two years.
About the artists:
CADA is an art group based in Lisbon. Since 2007, CADA has produced pioneering and innovative software which, through ambient computing and enigmatic design, aims to access the hidden relational and eternally separate reality of things in everyday life.
CITI – The Interactive Multimedia Group (IMG) within CITI (Research Centre for Informatics and
Information Technologies) develops research work on multimedia information processing, interaction and presentation. IMG is part of CITI, hosted by the Informatics Dep., Faculty of
Sciences and Technology, New University of Lisbon.
Time Machine Credits: First Prototype: CADA/CITI production Idea: Jared Hawkey / Sofia Oliveira Research, Development and Design: Jared Hawkey / Sofia Oliveira, Nuno Correia Computational. Research: Nuno Correia, Armanda Rodrigues. Computational Development 1st prototype: Margarida Piriquito Graphic Design: Sílvia Prudêncio.
Time Machine, CADA, PT. UM Exhibition, Opening Thur 12 Nov, 22hrs, ECV Fiat Garage (new space), Av. 24 de Julho, 60 [Santos], 1200-869. Exhibition runs to 27 Nov (Mon-Fri, 12-19hrs).
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