Radio Map

from We Make Money Not Art
http://www.we-make-money-not-art.com/archives/008494.php

Radio Map, by Michael Hohl and Stephan Huber, is an immersive telematic environment that enables participants to walk about a projected photorealistic image of the Earth and listen to live internet radio programs that are located at the corresponding locations all over the world.

Once a person walks about the map, a graphic element is placed into the direction of movement. Called the PoI (Point of Interest), it is used to select radio stations. Should more participants enter the space, all their lines connect to this single element, creating a shared PoI, which is placed in the calculated middle of all participants. The individuals have to collaborate to navigate the PoI. This encourages complete strangers to act as a group while exploring the map for radio stations.

As the PoI approaches the location of a radio station its volume increases giving the impression of "tuning in" to it. If the PoI is located between two or more stations that are close together their signals would mix. This creates potential for surprising "mixing" of the sound. Yet participants are always able to accurately “tune into†a station avoiding disturbing effects.

Experiencing the content and local colour of the actual radio programs invokes surprise. Participants become aware of different time zones, weather conditions, Summer and Winter, and the fact that we are living on a globe that is rotating around the Sun.