A tremendous number of discussion domains—chats, message boards, forums—have spun off from the possibilities afforded by online communication. These spaces are indeed public, but the user cannot experience the communication sensorially.

“Listening Post” now fills this gap. Every message that appears in this installation was written somewhere in the Web just seconds before. After passing through a variety of filtering mechanisms, visible and audible reflections of this global communication appear on 231 text displays and a sound system. The irregular staccato of the messages forms the installation’s optical and acoustic rhythm.

Prix Ars Electronica 2004, Golden Nica Interactive Art

back