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Alchemy Lab
Project Type
Product Photography
Client
Lumiare / September 2035
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The pervasive nature of surveillance in urban spaces raises important questions about the boundaries between public spaces and an individual’s privacy. At the same time, defining private, public, or semi-public spaces has also become difficult. Many of these surveillance systems are embedded into the urban spaces extremely well and have become a part of an individual’s everyday life, as in the case of CCTV cameras and RFID machines. This thesis project explores the ways in which an immersive experience along with data physicalization techniques can be employed to convey the scale and impact of surveillance in urban spaces.
The research was conducted through a literature review that explored surveillance from a historical and contemporary perspective, the relationship between bodies and screens and the role of data physicalization. Research-Creation was employed as a key research methodology for conducting data walks and iterative development of prototypes. This research resulted in exploring analogue materials and digital techniques within a physical immersive experience. Reflections Unveiled invites visitors to engage with aspects of visible and invisible forms of surveillance, through elements such as distortion and layering depicted by using mirrors in the immersive space while uncovering how they are viewed through those surveillance systems.
Research Methods
A mixed-methods research involved literature and contextual review, research-creation methodology, quantitative and qualitative collection of data and iterative prototyping. One of the main components that has had a huge impact on this thesis has been the integration of parallel making that reflected in (and as) the research.
Prototype Development
With every iteration of the prototype, no matter how rough or small, I gained a better understanding of how the materials, research and space interact with each other. A major part of this process involved creating prototypes while simultaneously conducting literature reviews. This helped connect the dots between what I was making and why I was making it. Four different prototypes were created, each developed through a different method and directed towards a different outcome. In developing these prototypes, I gathered and understood data, explored different materials and technologies, articulated the effects of those materials within a space and ultimately pieced everything together.
Prototype One: Discovery Through Exploration
I went into the first stage of creating prototypes with certain goals in mind, one of them focused on using only analogue materials. The approach was centered around material exploration and being able to depict elements of surveillance systems through these materials. The materials I used were acrylic reflective mirrors, reflective window film, tapes, and cardboard.
Elements such as reflection, distortion, and layers of surveillance were the utmost focus and I wanted to use the materials to enhance these elements. The main reason for not using any digital method for this prototype was to be able to focus on defining and depicting the elements of surveillance.
Prototype Two: Space Matters
The goal behind the second prototype was to incorporate the same elements created before within a smaller space. I wanted to work with an area that was enclosed from multiple sides and would help the visitors navigate through the experience.
In comparison to the space chosen for the last prototype, this was a much smaller area with a lot of corners to work with. As there was no change in the materialization aspect, I was relying on the observations regarding how people approached the elements, navigated through the space and whether they took away something at the end of the visit.
Prototype Three: Adding The Digital Aspect
Having previously concentrated solely on analog materials, I aimed to introduce a digital dimension to the experience this time around. The different elements that drove this prototype were the space used, incorporation of materials within that space along with the digital element, and the creation of the data physicalization on a bigger scale. This prototype brought me one step closer to making sense of the space.
An important aspect that drove this project to unlock a new feature was the incorporation of TouchDesigner for projecting visuals. The key factor I kept in mind while doing this was to make sure the materials created, and the visuals generated would have to go hand in hand.
Prototype Four: Reflections Through The Mirrors
The fourth prototype was installed in the same room as the last prototype but instead of utilizing the entire room, one-half of it was used. This prompted me to utilize the space in an adaptative manner and made me again make use of the space to incorporate the elements into it. I decided to try a couple of new variations this time and was excited to experiment with the mirrors and projections together. I wondered how the projection would react when displayed onto the mirrors.
Moving past the grid layout as done before, I went ahead with a distorted and displacement look. There was something quite fascinating about incorporating the mirrors and the projection as a layer on top of it. The mirrors seemed to reflect the projection in an abstract manner and distorted the image quite well. By using the wall and ceilings as a screen, I was now getting somewhere through which I could create an immersive experience.
Final Exhibition
Based on insights gathered during prototype installations, I was able to visualize what the final installation would look like. The immersive experience has been designed considering the room’s dimensions, placement of analog materials, and projectors to let visitors explore the space while engaging with the dispersed elements.
Upon entry, visitors encounter the mirrors mounted on the wall, offering them an opportunity for self-reflection that symbolizes their visibility under surveillance. Placing the mirrors at different heights on the wall has been done specifically for two reasons: enabling visitors to easily reflect on their own image, through the lower mirrors, while moving around. Secondly, placing some of the mirrors higher up signifies the strategic placement of CCTV cameras in urban spaces hence creating a noticeable sense of observation. The deliberate placement of the mirrors on the wall in front of the entrance has been done to let visitors encounter their reflection first and then stumble upon the live feed projected on the opposite wall.
Visitors upon entering the space become active participants in the installation. The expression of this concept can be seen in the projected imagery of the live feed of visitors in the room, taken by the web camera placed in one corner. This has been done to highlight the theme of invisible surveillance; prompting visitors to contemplate their presence within the space.
