Keiichi Matsuda: Augmented Reality - Winner of Visionary Cities Competition 2010

Augmented City 3D from Keiichi Matsuda on Vimeo.

is this real..?

wow, what is this? a massive sculpture, photoshop image...? don't know yet. it seems other-worldly, futuristic, awesome...

BERGENOBLIQUSAML by NICOLAS MOULIN, 2008

Guy Ben-ner 'Stealing Beauty'

In response to Rob Bothma's post a few days ago the link above takes you to a review of video artist Guy Ben-ner whose work takes place, in this example, in an Ikea store.  He regularly involves his family in his work, in this case using the various 'homey' displays of the superstore (with price tags) to stage his narrative: that of an ordinary family in familiar surroundings.  However, the store is open to the public, as normal, and shoppers are seen traipsing through the set with their giant yellow shopping bags, wondering what the heck is going on: as do the management of Ikea as the artist never seeks permission to film there.

Twin Towns

A friend from Swindon sent me this link with the title 'Oh dear.' 

This is about the recent news that Walt Disney World has been twinned with Swindon, after a resident won the competition by sending in a video and writing a poem describing her hometown. An interesting quote from the article says, "It is the first time the "magic kingdom" has twinned with somewhere "in the real world". It seems strange that twinning towns is made to promote cultural and commercial ties when Swindon does not immediately suggest any links, at all, with Disney World, and now the two are connected. I can however appreciate the comparison between Swindon's roundabout with the tea cup ride, although the idea is most likely too abstract for other residents to identify with!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8402686.stm

Unreal Space

Thinking back to last weeks lecture and unreal space. The thought which sprang to mind, was The Royal Family (not the TV show) and one of their past modes of Transport, The Royal Yacht Britannia. I have always envisaged a Yacht to be a either reasonably size craft, which is powered by sail, or motor, which people used for cruising of racing and maybe a bit lacking on creature comforts. As is usual, The Royal Family took this to the extreme with Britannia, possibly the only reason Britannia was regarded, as a Yacht was that, she had three masts, why? Because she was too large to be powered by sail, perhaps it was to fly all the flags and regalia required by the various members of The Family.
On the inside, she was certainly not lacking in any comfort, well maybe by The Royal Families standards she was. Something which has always puzzled me, it shouldn’t matter who or what you are, there should always be an acceptable standard for all, not just a chosen few.

SHOPPING - A REAL EXPERIENCE?

‘Going shopping’ is not a straightforward event anymore.

Look at these shops. Yes they really are shops! Leave your ‘normal’ life and enter a new world.  In fact it can be a fantasy experience.

This is the interior of Manderina Duck. A shop that specialises in upmarket travel luggage and classes itself as a 'destination shop'.  The first thing that hits you when entering the shop is a giant yellow backside and pair of legs that also has a sound system!!

Do you enter the land of the giants? Are you meant to feel this is your start to plan your escape to your fantasy holiday? The design is actually meant to simulate Gullivers Travels and encourages the mind into a play situation.  Whatever the reason for the design, reality is exaggerated and our minds can be distorted to adapt to a hyperreal situation.

A further example is the O2 shop which takes the hyperreality further with its futuristic space age look.

It is also redisigned throughout the year to simulate the season at that time.  Here it has been designed to make the consumer feel a winter mood with cracks and splits on the center belt to represent an icy surface.
Does this simulation even trick the mind into feeling temperature?
pictures taken from DESIGN FOR SHOPPING by SARA MANUELLI

Ikea as a Hyperreal space

When I begin to think of simulation spaces and elements of hyperreal I think of shops and especially shops with showrooms. Ikea is a brilliant example of this. When you walk around Ikea you become part of an elaborate portrayal of the ideal home that has been designed with great detail and attention (for example in some room sets there are pictures that show "family").

Even though we know and are aware that this is a shop we become oblivious to this marketing ploy. The room "sets" show a way of life and customers think that Ikea are not just selling things but a lifestyle. This abstract space however does feel strangely real although it is a staged representation we begin to use the space as if it was real. And Ikea generally use this to their adavantage, thus none of those "DO NOT SIT ON THE FURNITURE" signs. All this means that we the consumer do not think of this as a falsified environment, we think that it is real so this space becomes the hyperreal.

Amateur Video of 'Santa Claus's Village'

Here's a link to see an amateur video of Santa Claus's Village:

PCAD 500: The Phenomena of Theme Parks and Other Destinations

The relentless demand for entertainment 'experiences' and 'difference,' away from home, is discussed in this session. Are we seeking real, authentic experiences? Or something else? Perhaps something fake, merely similar to reality, or even inauthentic, because it seems we do appreciate the dissonance between the 'real' and the 'representation.' Baudrillard's theories: Simulacra and Simulation, and the hyper real have been discussed as well as ideas of globalism and localism.


The 'Real' Middle Earth