Scales

In the two-channel beamer projection «Scales» we transmit live images from Switzerland to the exhibition room. The projections contain 16 live webcam images from Switzerland. One projection shows roads and motorway segments. The second projection focuses on landscapes, mountains and lakes. The live webcam images are continuously updated via the internet: On the hour, the last 24 hours are shown in fast motion for a duration of four minutes.
The real images are complemented with information and drawings on the projection screen. 

«Scales» was designed for the group exhibition «Identity Switzerland / Switzerland For All», curated by Stefan-Maria Mittendorf and it was shown in 2010 at the Centre Pasquart Biel/Bienne Switzerland and in 2008 at the Pasinger Fabrik Munich Germany.

Weather stations show the sky, hotels and holiday destinations show their surroundings, motorway segments show their current traffic volume, construction sites show their progress, a pharmacy shows its court, a kiosk its kiosk, private persons their garden or their access road with the parking place.
Webcams are partly posted on the internet by institutions and often by private actors. They show segments of public and private spaces.
We were surprised by some perspectives and camera orientations. These must often, at least partially, have been determined by the location of the camera, the possibilities to connect it, or another functional, technical aspect. As a consequence, details become visible that would probably otherwise not be shown. 

We wrote comments, which we investigated for a particular location, on the wall and directly into the projected images. With these written and drawn pieces of information we combined the very realistic images with additional factors. Like in the image above: «Our classical splint hand grenade was described as the best in the world by the British army.» 

The images are accessible through the internet at any point in time and to any person. Some of the images are refreshed every second and some have a quality that approximates live-transmissions. Thus, the viewer can almost see a live-movie of a location in real time. 

Location of the webcams

Countless cameras are directed to a spot twenty four hours a day like eyes and they transmit information to the virtual space. The physical world is gradually digitalized by webcams and duplicated into a digital world. We are fascinated by this process that combines locations in a digital space and thus creates new topologies. 

pictz & txt by Baggenstos/Rudolf, Zurich 2010 

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