I’ve been studying in Helsinki for a while at the University of Art and Design (UIAH/Taik), as part of the program MA in European Urban Cultures. Everyone who’s ever lived there probably knows it’s a nice place, even though the centre of the city is quite small. But since Finnish people are also quite closed (except when they’re totally hammered), they try to find other ways for people to interact (proven the slogan “Nokia, connecting people!”). Here’s another nice example: the Helsinki City Wall.
Basically it’s an interactive wall, located right in the middle of the centre and at a place where many people pass (the Lasipalatsi media centre), and which shows pictures and movie clips. The touch screen allows you to play with the content. Everyone can contribute by sending content to a certain email address or by posting it on public sources like Flickr or Youtube and tagging it ‘Helsinki’. The content will then be picked up.
“The installation has three objectives; First it aims at creating Awareness and Presence of City Events in an engaging installation where passers by playfully manipulate media and learn about anniversaries, events and festivals. Second it is aimed at supporting active visitors and social media motivating users to actively and collaboratively make sense and play with media. Third CityWall proposes a platform for Media Literacy which can deliver rich media experiences to the widest audience. Anyone with the most basic computer skills can learn and use the CityWall in a few moments.”
Tags: city wall, event, flickr, helsinki, interactive, lasipalatsi, screen, touch, youtube
