Small screens (about the size of a small mobile) embedded into book like objects display the cover of a book allowing for a browse-able and tangible “shelf-view” of a bin of books from the LRS.
Located in the central stairwell. A bank of 6 small printers, similar to the ones used to print out receipts in the library, are suspended from the top floor. Each printer represents an aisle in the LRS. As an object is requested, the printer corresponding to the aisle in which the object is currently housed, prints out the cover of the book and other relevant information. People walking up the stairs will be able to see what is being requested in real-time.
Over time the paper will pool on the floor.
The umbrella is to protect the printers from roof leakage.
Library borrowing activity is represented by real paint drops which fall from the top of the central stairwell. Each drip represents a borrowed or returned library object with its colour corresponding to its dewey decimal colour as mapped by Chris Gaul.
The paint splatters and accumulates on the floor providing a tangible representation of activity accumulating over time.
A discrete perspex barrier stops people from being splashed as they walk past.
Library borrowing activity is represented by LED “drips”. Each drip represents a library object with its colour corresponding to its dewey decimal colour. As an object is borrowed a droplet slides down into the pool. As objects are requested a droplet slides up.
A mirror on the floor extends the path of the drips into the underground space, making reference to the underground LRS.
First generation (very straight) visualisation of the LRS system mapped as navigable 3D model.
This can be linked to a real-time feed from the library database showing usage of the system which will in turn show its relevance. Interactivity with the bin contents will allow for exploration of the collection.
At the start of each day, all bins are transparent. As each bin is accessed, it increases in opacity.
Why? To observe which bins are most frequently accessed and extrapolate possible patterns of use.
Visualisation of information: Daily, weekly, monthly, yearly…
Which items are being requested?
As an item is requested or returned, the relevant bin lights up in the corresponding dewy decimal colour as mapped by Chris Gaul. The cover image and any other interesting information can perhaps “fly” out of the bin towards us so we can see the item.
The LRS “sound system”
Each bin is assigned a sound and as such library clients will be able to play a composition. Aisle 1 – Drums / Aisle 2 – Strings / Aisle 3 – Percussion…. This will be most effective when a past period of time is replayed at high speed.
What objects are in the bins?
A user can navigate into each bin to explore its contents.
The straighty one eighty visualisation approach is a good point to then subvert the obvious mapping of objects to their physical location.
Why not: flatten all the bins out, make them crumble like high rises being detonated, pull out all the titles that contain the word “curious”, “sublime” or “ridiculous”? Turn each object into a particle and assign them properties; e.g. objects cluster according to their colour and kind or all objects on social sciences (blue) move around in zero gravity, all objects on language (turquoise) form words…
A bin containing mainly poetry. An expressive and self important bunch of objects, orating with emotion, on first observation, it would seem, by their simultaneous grandiose readings, that they are entirely self-absorbed. However, a second observation recorded them creating a collaborative poem with a narrative they could not dream of creating individually.
Date: 8th September 2014 4:15pm
Todd, Janet, 1942- Gender, art and death / Janet Todd. | 820.5 TODD
War poems and others / Wilfred Owen | 821.91 OWEW
Day Lewis, C. (Cecil), 1904-1972 Poems of C. Day Lewis, 1925-1972 | 821.912/DAY/2
Buckler, William E. (William Earl), The major Victorian poets : Tennyso | 821.808/1
Hughes, Ted, 1930- Birthday letters / Ted Hughes | 821.91 HUGB
Voices from