ArtBART
2009; Conceptual Design (never built)
ArtBART combines public transport and social technology for a collaborative art project. Read through the following pages to understand what this is all about. Or watch ArtBART in 21 Slides.
ArtBART is a game where you paint pictures on the iPad (or any other touch-tablet) and compete who for gets displayed on the BART metro screens. Designed as a collaborative art project for the San Francisco metro system BART involving the Brushes iPhone / iPad application and a system of public LCD screens.
At the time of doing this project I was unsure what journalism or media really meant. So I was inspired by the MIT Media Lab and decided to involve human–machine interaction in my work. The content is being created by humans using software on an iPhone and displayed on screens throughout the ArtBART metro system.
ArtBART Democratic Art
Imagine a collaborative art project. The experience of commuting to work on a train is boring. The Bay Area Rapid Transit system has wireless installed. What if every person could use the Brushes application to make art while in the train? As there is wireless, the artwork can be uploaded to a special address. It will show up on the screens in the train and in the stations. Users can vote on the works lifting the best works to the top. BART + Wireless + Brushes.
The link: artbart.me (Update 2012: offline)
Two things are true.
One. The experience of commuting to work on a train is boring.
Two. The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system has Wi-Fi wireless installed.
Idea In Development
I’m developing an art project that I want to build on the San Francisco BART trains. The name I came up with is ArtBART and here’s a work-in-progress presentation. I’d appreciate any new ideas, contacts, or help with developing the project further so we can make it a reality.
The abstract is this. MobART. Why should art be restricted to the galleries. Why should it only be created by artists? What if I said every one of us is and artist. What if I said art is everywhere. What if I told you 60% of the people in San Francisco have the tools to make art in their pocket. These are precisely the things being said this century. Art has become democratic and everybody who wants can create it. So lets make some space for it. Lets do it where people go every day. Let do it where they have the time to do it. In the metro. On the train.
Technical Solution
Use the Brushes application. Use the built-in functionality to e-mail the finished artwork to BART. An automatic system will display the artwork on BART screens.
Use projector to display drawing on the wall on both sides. The most democratic form of art-making. Innovative. Modern. Unknown (relatively) way of creating art.
Invites. The project does not need formal openings and closings in with speeches and famous artists. The catalog will be entirely digital and accessible trough a website.
Artists
Xoan Baltar, Steve John, Brushes iPhone Art Gallery
Space.
Bay Area Rapid Transit system trains and stations. Why? BART was among the first companies to open real time schedule information to third-party developers. BART has high speed wireless connectivity so screens can be installed inside the trains as well as in the stations. Bay area has the highest number of iPhones in the world.
Used Literature for the Narrative. This is the Cutting Edge of art since it first became popular in 2009.
Logistical Foresight
LCD screens need to be installed in all the trains. Metro stations already have them. It depends on negotiations with the metro company whether these will be temporary or could be part of a long term investment. After the project they can be reused for display of advertisements or public information.
Justification in three I’s.
Inspiration: anyone can create art. Innovation: a new use for the metro. Internationalization: collaboration without borders.
Advertising. How to involve the largest number of people? Advertizing for the project will be based on word-of-mouth. Facebook and Twitter accounts will be set up that announce new artworks that have been uploaded.
Timeframe. The length of the project depends on the participation gradient. We expect the first to be slower with early adopters taking part. The second week word of mouth will have traveled enough and commuters will be familiar enough with the system to try it out by themselves.
To quickstart the project we can recommend two approaches. Hire artists to sit on the train and draw. This means there is always someone using the system as an example (Preferrable). Post personnel with teaching experience to explain to commuters what they need to do. Paste posters on the walls with explanations (additional costs on poster design).
Audience
Participants. Young: 18 to 25. Owns and iPhone or other mobile device with capacity for drawing. Bay Area has 800 000 such people. 80% of the take the BART daily.
Goals
Promote creativity among the public. Show people the possibilities of out of the box thinking.
Future Prospects
As the project has some viral properties, if managed properly there are possibilities for viral spread and copy in other metropolicies. The limiting factors are. Access to Internet in the metro. Number of mobile devices with art capabilities in the hands of citizens.
Creativity. Innovation. Artistry. Ingenuity. Invention. Originality. Democracy. Openess. Freedom. Open Culture. Participatory Culture. Access. Imagination. Fun. Participation. Collaboration. Competition. Ability. Playful Culture. Lucity. Ludicus.Childlikeness.Capacity. Power. Empowerment.
BART. Bay Area Rapid Transit. Budget: Fees and Expenses Unit. Unit Cost. Installation. Total. Video Projector. Artist Travel. Commitee Travel. Advertizing. Purchase of Artwork. Software Development.
http://www.wifirail.net/pages/locations.html
- Use projector to display drawing on the wall on both sides
- The most democratic form of art-making
- Innovative
- Modern
- Unknown (relatively) way of creating art
Example Works
Artists
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/pirillan/
- http://www.flickr.com/groups/brushes/
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/frommystudio/
Space
Bay Area Rapid Transit system trains and stations.
Why?
- BART was among the first companies to open real time schedule information to third-party developers.
- BART has high speed wireless connectivity so screens can be installed inside the trains as well as in the stations.
- Bay area has the highest number of iPhones in the world.
Used Literature
- http://www.wired.com/gadgets/wireless/news/2009/02/submissions_iphone_art
- http://www.wired.com/culture/art/multimedia/2009/02/gallery_brushes
- Cutting Edge
- http://www.intomobile.com/2009/03/14/fingerpainting-on-the-iphone-not-as-bad-as-you-might-think.html
Narrative
Logistical Foresight
LCD screens need to be installed in all the trains. Metro stations already have them. It depends on negotiations with the metro company whether these will be temporary or could be part of a long term investment. After the project they can be reused for display of advertisements or public information.
Justification in three I’s
- Inspiration: anyone can create art
- Innovation: a new use for the metro
- Internationalization: collaboration without borders
Advertising
How to involve the largest number of people? Advertizing for the project will be based on word-of-mouth. Facebook and Twitter accounts will be set up that announce new artworks that have been uploaded.
Timeframe
The length of the project depends on the participation gradient. We expect the first to be slower with early adopters taking part. The second week word of mouth will have traveled enough and commuters will be familiar enough with the system to try it out by themselves.
To quickstart the project we can recommend two approaches:
- Hire artists to sit on the train and draw. This means there is always someone using the system as an example (Preferrable)
- Post personnel with teaching experience to explain to commuters what they need to do
- Paste posters on the walls with explanations (additional costs on poster design).
Audience
Participants
Young: 18 to 25. Owns and iPhone or other mobile device with capacity for drawing. Bay Area has 800 000 such people. 80% of the take the BART daily.
Project Goals
Promote creativity among the public. Show people the possibilities of out of the box thinking.
Future Prospects
As the project has some viral properties, if managed properly there are possibilities for viral spread and copy in other metropolicies. The limiting factors are:
- Access to Internet in the metro
- Number of mobile devices with art capabilities in the hands of citizens
Creativity. Innovation. Artistry. Ingenuity. Invention. Originality.
Democracy. Openess. Freedom. Open Culture. Participatory Culture.
Access. Imagination. Fun. Participation. Collaboration. Competition.
Ability. Playful Culture. Lucity. Ludicus.Childlikeness.Capacity. Power.
Empowerment.BART. Bay Area Rapid Transit.
Budget: Fees and Expenses
Unit. Unit Cost. Installation. Total.
Video Projector
Artist Travel
Commitee Travel
Advertizing
Purchase of Artwork
Software Development
2009 is the year for creativity and innovation.
Unfortunately the project remained as a concept only as I wasn’t able to sell the project and got tired before success.
