Memory Moat

Links for the Conflux Festival

2007-06-22T00:22:00.001-06:00

Link to Final PDF Report with detailed documentation about the Animus Project
Link to Eddelman Picture

Thanks to everybody, let's go public with Animus!

translation

2007-05-01T08:55:00.001-06:00

animus -i m. [the spiritual or rational principle of life in man]. More specifically: (1) [the seat of feeling , the heart]; 'animi causa', [for pleasure]; loc. (or genit.) 'animi', [at heart]. (2) [character, disposition]; as a trait of character (esp. in plur.) [courage, spirit, vivacity]; also [pride, arrogance]. (3) [the seat of the will, intention]: 'habeo in animo', [I am resolved]. (4) [the seat of thought, intellect, mind, memory, consciousness].

Place for Final Presentation Memory Moat

2007-04-30T17:33:00.000-06:00

We must bring a projector and a screen to project on... but we are set!

Here are some photos:

LEFT VIEW IN THE MAUSOLEUM (click the picture to enlarge it)

CENTER VIEW IN THE MAUSOLEUM (click the picture to enlarge it)

RIGHT VIEW IN THE MAUSOLEUM (click the picture to enlarge it)

PANORAMIC PHOTO OF MAUSOLEUM (click the picture to enlarge it)

Wednesday Meeting...

2007-04-19T12:51:00.000-06:00

MOUNT HOPE SATELLITE IMAGES...don't ask...

MEETING IDEAS ON WHITEBOARD and OTHER STUFF...

Geekness at its best...enjoy :o)

if(Satellite(X1,X2,X3)<=>GPS(x1,x2,x3)<=>MobileDevice(Calculate(Circle_of_Range(Tombstone_Marker)))) within Circle_of_Range(Tombstone_Marker){
if( (LOGIN(USER + PASSWORD)== VALIDATED)
READ(wiki) or POST(wiki);
else
READ(wiki AS Stranger);
)
else{
if( (LOGIN(USER + PASSWORD)== VALIDATED)
READ(wiki) or POST(wiki);
else
READ(wiki AS Stranger);
}

latest synopsis

2007-04-09T19:09:00.000-06:00

The goal of our latest meeting was to zero in on the interface we would be using and how this would relate to the hierarchy we established in the previous meeting and the ideas and concepts discussed in class.

One of the first ideas we talked about, preceded an actual interface, however, it did begin to address a conceptual idea about the presentation of the interface. The idea was to show what would essentially be a documentary with the director of Mount Hope, Jim Hudson moving through the cemetery talking about various individuals and terminating at a digital interface which uses the hierarchy seen in the previous blog by Alejandro. Jim, having never seen the actual interface would then critique the system and how it relates to the current concept of the cemetery and any possible ramifications.

We then re-visited the idea of the wiki starting prior to the death of the individual and thus establishing the hierarchy as the deceased would want it, rather than having an administrator try to determine the proper relationships.

Another discussion dealt with the various ways in which a digital interface could either be integrated into the framework of historic tombstones, a digital interface that would be in addition to the tombstones, or a new typology which would re-define grave markers. While discussing the interface we also considered whether the interface would be the same for everyone or if they could be customized.

Another discussion was to determine if the interface would be touch screen, typed or a card reader.

The final concept discussed was that of a buried or hidden transmitter that would mark the spot a person identifies as their memorial marker.

In the end it was determined that the location of the wiki access points would be at whatever location was predetermined by the individual. A transmitter would then be buried, submerged or hidden depending upon the type of location. A tablet pc would be the way of viewing the wiki and thus the log in and interaction is all dependent upon the visitor's own hardware. The rationale for this method is to tie the deceased and their visitors to a meaningful location to reflect, remember and pay tribute while leaving the location undisturbed for optimal consideration and reflection. In addition, an individual could chose a location that typically a marker would impede the public's navigation or use. For example, if Henry David Thoureau were to use Walden as his location, his visitor's could view Walden as he did without a marker or monument disturbing the views and conditions that intrigued Thoureau in the first place.

Focus! Scope Down! Eureka!

2007-04-05T21:24:00.000-06:00

This is a sketch we came up today while focusing! scoping! and finally finding a VERY interesting application for all the research data we recollected. We will give details tomorrow.

Finally.....pt 2 (facts/thoughts)

2007-03-30T00:03:00.000-06:00

A few of the more interesting discoveries regarding cemeteries, for more information refer to the websites linked below:

http://www.prairieghosts.com/grave_history.html
a site discussing historical information for cemeteries by the author of "BEYOND THE GRAVE" and based upon its contents

http://www.alsirat.com/silence/history.html
a nice rundown on the development of the cemetery

http://www.alsirat.com/silence/cemtime/index.html
a timeline of cemetery related events or significant events dealing with death

http://cemetery.virtualug.com/index.html
a company that offers services for mapping many items within a cemetery for use in the computer. 3d and 2d services available both below grade and above grade without disturbing the grounds (see below for inside of brochure).

Finally.....pt 1 (3/15 revisited)

2007-03-29T23:18:00.000-06:00

After numerous challenges and setbacks I am able to get back online with minimal interruptions.

I have broken my posts into two separate posts to revisit our conversation from March 15th and the second constitutes interesting facts and personal thoughts on concepts and historical information regarding cemeteries....

3/15:redux

Our typical marathon discussions were renewed this night as we began to address the audience we would be targeting and what concepts may be explored through these groups. We found there were two broad groups to isolate subjects from within. First, are the people on campus. These people may use the cemetery for a multitude of purposes or view it as an alternative. The notion of the alternative was primarily seen as efficiency of travel, however, there may be those that have other uses for it that fall outside the typical notions of the cemetery. The second group are the users. Within this group we were able to break it down further. There are those that are not seen and might leave artifacts and those that are seen and might leave artifacts. In the end, the following list constitutes the groups we chose from:

-The dead
-Loved ones of the dead (both local and distant)
-Those who pass through or cut through
-Those who pass by
-----via car
-----via walking
-----via bike
-Loved ones moving through the cemetery
-Those intrigued by the cemetery (morbid curiosity/fascination)
-Workers
-----grounds upkeep/maintenance
-----day to day operations (sales, hr, accounting/billing, management, etc)
-Adjacent participants (coexist but don't know or care it is there)
-----Law
-----Art and Design
-----ACES
-----Architecture
-----Athletics
-----etc.

Subject rather than audience: The landscape
-----real topography
-----topography of the monuments
-----planning

Specific discussion of subject: The Groundskeeper

There were three topics that arose when discussing the groundskeeper; first, there are the stories. These might be his personal stories, those that may be made up and attributed to the dead and there are the actual true stories of the individuals. Next, the groundskeeper ends up becoming the nexus of everyone. He/she deals with those that work at the main office, he/she works the grounds, he/she deals with the various artifacts (waste or memorial), and he/she bears witness to many of the groups we discussed. The question, then, is what is the viewpoint of this individual? Are they passive and uncaring about the lives of these people? Are they active and very aware of the stories and interconnections? What are we assuming that is eitehr true or false?

Specific discussion of subject: The Passersby

We felt that many of the passersby understand the space of the cemetery and the concept of what occurs and how to interact with it, however, we guess that the majority of these people have no clue about the history of the site nor the individuals contained within.

Conceptually:
-There is an interesting contrast of the lives that move within and around against those that have become "stopped inertia" (once moving and now static).
-Juxtapositions
-----movement/stasis
-----caring/uncaring
-----interactive/passive
-Harmony
-----breakdown of class/racial divisions/workers in the end they are all virtually the same
-Romanticism: there is a romantic view of the cemetery and the sentiments that each individual carries within

In the end we decided to investigate the groundskeeper and the passersby/those that cut through. We were extremely interested in the idea of the groundskeeper representing the nexus, that which all else revolves and the contrast of the individuals that pass by with no or little consideration for the site and its activity. As with our other projects we are trying to maintain an unbiased opinion of these groups and will wait to see where the actual events and ideas take us.

UIUC Southern Expansion Planning Data

2007-03-29T22:47:00.000-06:00

..

The land that the south farms now occupy is going to be developed by the University in a business park fashion. There will be few parking garages and large expanses of asphalt. The only facilities that will be of interest to the average student [circulating through or around the cemetery] will be a hotel and conference center, olympic sports stadium, and an academic administration building. It could even be argued that the average student will use none of these [hence the groundskeeper's statement dismissing our speculations].

The buildings will be built by UIUC [leaving them with a mortgage payment] and loaned to occupants on 50 or 100 year loans [typ.]. Tenants will pay this loan and will not have to pay a property tax [as UIUC does not pay any]. With this formula there will be no profit made by the university [to go towards tuition, renovations, etc.]

The grade drops some 30 feet from St. Mary's Road to its southern border, the southernmost superblock resides in a 100 year floodplain.

The original planning for the south farm expansion included a links style golf course. This was dismissed because of the extreme chemicals necessary for golf course grooming. A local watershed board observed that all of this runoff would end up in the river that runs to the south.

Interview with Jim Hudson Family Service Manager

2007-03-29T21:57:00.000-06:00

Please click the following links to download the MP3s from the interview.

Interview with Jim Hudson

Reference to Abraham Lincoln

Please feel free to share your ideas, comments and opinions you have about the interview.

The Quest for an expert...the Cemetery Description(Click Images to Enlarge)

2007-03-29T18:26:00.000-06:00

Bicycle

Al loosing it...

Greatest UIUC Athlete in History Eddleman (Front)

Greatest UIUC Athlete in History Eddleman (Back)

Champaign County Soldiers Monument Association

Car

You can almost picture and hear the Bugler

Family Service Manager Jim Hudson

Jewish Tomb visited by the Jewish Community

Huff

You can hear and remember the Horse Shoer

Expensive Tomb

Mausoleums

Different Granite Mausoleums

Kinley Nitches

Joggers

Potters Field

Old Military Grave Stone

Al being absorbed by the Nitch

Nature overcoming the Tomb stone

Typical Mausoleums

Military Tombstone Quote

Memorial Monument

US Marine Corps

Korea War

Hospital Steward Tombstone

Vietnam

US Air Force Tombstone

PVT Private US Army Tombstone

PFC Private First Class US Army Tombstone

Mexican War

Al, Nikita and Alejandro Cemetery visits (Click Images to Enlarge)

2007-03-28T17:17:00.000-06:00

Tradition

Amazing Grand Tombstone

Unacceptable Gatorade Paper Glass Polluting Cemetery

360º View of the Cemetery

Awesome Big Tomb

Very interesting family burial ground. One member recently deceased. You can see it on the layout of the grass. Also you can see how the family members remembered the deceased birthday and brought a balloon that said: "Happy Birthday Daddy" suggesting that the kids haven´t forgotten their father.

Different template of a tombstone...counting the number of years the person lived.

Very Big Place in the Cemetery were we think an important person is buried.

Identifying Subjects

2007-03-15T21:41:00.000-06:00

The Groundskeeper: The groundskeeper will be our expert for this project. We will want to interview the groundskeeper to find out about the site. I imagine that he/she would have many stories about who is buried there and what type of people visit or pass through the space. They would also have more concrete information as to where people are buried, who can be buried there and what the different types of tombs mean. The groundskeeper is a person who exists in the cemetery and moves about it everyday. They will have a unique perspective on the site and on death. We will ask questions about traditions, etiquette, respect,emotion, memory and space as it relates to death or working with the dead. The knowledge of the groundskeeper is more reflective of a collective memory than any other visitor to the space. The loved ones who visit the deceased know the cemetery in a very unique and personal memory of it.

The Passer Through: This group is represented mainly by college students. The people passing through tend to use the space as a short cut to get to the various athletic facilities just south of Florida avenue. There is an odd contrast between those at the end of their lives with those in peak physical condition. The people passing through don't seem to acknowledge the weight of the space. The cemetery exists in the periphery of their everyday path. The cemetery is the destination we all must reach at some point. The passer through is using this instead as a transitional space. Although the grave stones mark an event, the memories of this site are not accessible to the people moving through.

We are interested in exploring the differences in these two groups. The contrast between the local collective memory (groundskeeper) and the temporary collective memory (passer through) have interesting parallels to short-term and long-term memory of a society and a physical site.

notebook pages

2007-02-27T12:35:00.000-06:00

RIP External Memory! 14 hours of work ...6 minutes of destruction

2007-02-26T14:44:00.000-06:00

...Everything that has a beginning must have an end. Hope you enjoy the show as much as we did! This project was awesome!

2007-02-23T03:51:00.000-06:00

Interesting collection of videos...enjoy!

2007-02-23T03:48:00.000-06:00

Identifying Memories...

Retrieving Memory

Creating links...

2007-02-23T03:47:00.000-06:00

2007-02-23T03:34:00.000-06:00

2007-02-23T03:24:00.000-06:00

Preparation for the final construction...

2007-02-22T14:00:00.000-06:00

Retrieving and organizing the materials to build our visual representation...

2007-02-13T12:33:00.000-06:00

Practice No.2 Tuesday 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Here are the photos from the second run. Since today classes and activities got cancelled so I got a few photos. But I think we are good. We are planning a possible meeting.

2007-02-13T12:09:00.000-06:00

Practice No.1 Sunday 12:35 p.m. to 13:30

Here are the photos from the first run.

existence as memory

2007-02-08T13:44:00.000-06:00

The parameters of memory are nonexistent. Imagining a scenario in which a human being, or even an inanimate object, functions without memory is impossible. Such a human being, such an object, such a molecule or atom or gluon, could not exist in reality as we know it. The act of remembering, conscious or unconscious, connects past and present, here and there, me and you. Language, thought, pattern-recognition, symbol recognition, biological processes, identity, physical and chemical processes, time, space, nothingness--all of these phenomena occur persistently. Time does not stand still, or rather, our illusion, our rendition of the world is persistent--any other version of the universe, a one-dimensional one, or a 1000-dimensional one, where light reflects and bounces like sound, where the passing of time can be observed from multiple vantage points, where cubism is the second course of a meal you have at a dinner-table that is in another person's mind, would be catastrophic to our senses, our psyches, our egos. And what would catastrophe be without the mysterious will of its causes and effects, the storm of particles remembering to produce fission, fusion, to change energy states, to perform! quantum shifts, to teleport, to behave as they have been set, programmed, conditioned to behave. The most elemental bleep requires an act of memorization. The electron stays intact, the strong force does not forget, a lapse would result in instantaneous reconfiguration of everything we know or pretend to know to be. Memory is not just a cognitive ability that facilitates finding the car keys underneath the couch pillows or opening the right lock with the right key, memory is at the core of the essence of any phenomenon, a god. And what would god be without memory, without the sentience to recognize the impossibility of one's own existence, a gellatinous wreck, deaf, dumb, blind, mute, unable to transcend? Beyond words there are more words. A creased piece of paper stays creased, and the crease never disappears. The paper fibers remember damage, how, where, in what direction, with what force and inertia, and the damage remembers crystals, alkalides, polymers, anions, valences, weights, shapes, forms, structures, in short, chemistry, mathematics, quantum physics, philosophy. All is history, pulling from some inexhaustible well of the past and the future.

The Shopping Cart

2007-02-07T23:45:00.000-06:00

We chose the object of the shopping cart as a place to store memory.
The idea of a homeless person using a shopping cart came to mind. They carry their whole life in that cart. The cart is a metaphor for memory because the contents are a physical manifestation of their everyday routines and interactions with the world. The cart is full of stories and memories.

When first brainstorming for the project I was thinking about how our digital identity seems to fight to replace our real identity. In forming this memory I wanted to go against the notion that all this data adds up to who we are. Which is why homelessness is an excellent reference. It is good because they are essentially living off the grid. They have no pin numbers, no RFID tags, or profiles. They work with physical objects and depend on a barter system to survive.

Storage & Retrieval

2007-02-02T00:36:00.000-06:00

Our group chose to capture sound from the entrance of an MTD bus. We were interested in the repetitive conversational exchange of the bus driver and the passengers as the board and exit the vehicle. We gave our selves the rule of pushing record when the doors open and pushing stop when the doors close. As a result we got fragments of conversation and rhythmic breaks in the audio. This recording condenses the hour long ride into a matter of minutes. It represents not the route the bus takes but stops that it makes. The bus is no longer mobile, it is fixed like some sort teleportation device. A set of destinations without the journey. We hear the loud hum of an engine in anticipation as passengers board and pay the fare. The audio reveals the transitional phase of the passenger and the dynamic experience of the driver as each new passenger arrives.

For the retrieval of this information we chose to superimpose the soundscape of the 'bus stop' onto a site which remains stationary. The site we chose is the double doors on the West side entrance of Siebel Center. We liked this site because it acts as a non-space. The double doors are a transitional spaces where not much human interaction occurs. For the playback there is a similar rule as in the recording, push play when door opens and stop when it closes. That way the pedestrian enter/exiting Siebel shares the experience of enter/exiting the bus. The tape will be played through an amplifier causing the sound to flood the entire space. Also, the audio may transport the listener to a similar moment of transit which exists in their memory.

CHALLENGES OF GROUP COMMUNICATION

2007-02-02T00:21:00.000-06:00

Describe your group’s communication efforts. Did you find yourself communicating ideas more often through drawing, talking, writing, or something else? What role did sharing references or other examples play, if any? What aspect of your design concept presented the greatest challenges to communication within your group? What aspect presented the least challenge?

Our group consists of four very charismatic and enthusiastic people from different backgrounds. Nikita and Alan show and communicate in a deep and clear way their common interest in Arts and Design. Robert expresses himself in a very confident way the skills and experience he has gained in the architecture world. I, Alejandro, are trying to contribute my grain of sand from the Computer Science point of view, while holding a very deep and passionate interest in studying how to learn and develop new skills in the amazing backgrounds of the different members of my group.

After exchanging the schedules of all four group members, we managed without any problems to setup a proper meeting Saturday January 27th 2007 around 17:00p.m. The photographs on the previous post show in a very clear way how we used the white boards, the sketchpads as well as a webcam.

We used the white board to draw and write all the different ideas that the group proposed and then established the different relations within the points of view. We then talked about possible scenarios where we could present our ideas and found interesting results.

After the meeting each member of the group proceeded to ride the bus and contribute to the recording, satisfying the goal we set out to achieve (please read the posts below).

Once the recordings were recollected we met one more time in a coffee shop to draw the pertinent conclusions and present the data. During this meeting we shared a lot of personal experiences, as well as individual projects that we have presented throughout our careers.

We thought of showing how the data recollected in such a way that it simulated the life of a bus driver, but choose not to present because it might offend somebody. On another note we tried to mimic the behavior of a metronome representing each period from this device by the opening and closing of the doors from the bus.

The greatest challenge to communication within the group was the interpretation of the recording we recollected previously. It was quite a remarkable experience when we had to reach a personal common ground of interpretation. We all shared our ideas, and slowly but surely we came closer to obtain a final solution that satisfied all our expectations. (please read post below)

The smallest challenge to communication within the group was the coordination and synchronization of the different activities the project required. It was fairly easy

Dividing Tasks

2007-02-01T23:17:00.000-06:00

How did your team sub-divide your project into tasks? Is this division of labor evident in the final outcome?

Each person in the group brainstormed by themselves and tried to come up with three ideas to bring to the first meeting. In this meeting we bounced ideas off one and other and developing a singular project with aspects of the other ideas. We decided on trying to capture the short and repetitive conversation of a bus driver and the passenger. We wanted to get an audio sample from one loop of one route. We also wanted the samples to be from different times so we could experience varying traffic flow and demographic of riders. So we split up the recording into three trips. Nikita and I took the late night on Saturday. Rob took the daytime route on Monday. And Alejandro took the evening route on Wednesday. So we have three tape sides with different routes recorded on them. Then we decided to each write something on the blog about the project in terms of storage and retrieval.

Linearity

2007-02-01T21:46:00.000-06:00

--- How evident is the tape’s linear structure in your team’s solution? Is linear time more a factor in the recording, or retrieval, or equally in both? Discuss how your team came to this approach. ---

Our team was interested in the interaction that exists between driver and rider on the Champaign-Urbana mass transit system. Linearity was inevitable in our recording methodology, as we were building a catalog of the route, of the bus, the bus stops, and subsequent interaction. However, in our decision to take this information and then place it into a new context, a static, building lobby, linearity in the data is not perceived by the people actively engaged in the entry/exit sequence of the building. Our team arrived at the decision that a set of rules was needed to establish how and when to record the interaction between driver and rider and thus settled on the act of the opening and closing of the doors. We were aware of the linear nature of the recording and the act itself, but felt this was a negligible concept within the recording of the data. For the final solution, we discussed the act of the linear media, however, we felt it was more important to change the context of the material. Due to the duration of the entry/exit sequence, the linearity of the recording will be virtually transparent.

1st meeting : photos

2007-02-01T15:52:00.000-06:00

1st meeting

2007-02-01T15:51:00.001-06:00

( Group: Alejandro, Rob, Al, Nikita )

we determine the location of our attention for project no. 1

our point of interest is the front of a champaign-urbana mass transit system bus, where the bus driver interacts with boardig passengers. our plan is to board the 100Y North bus at Transit Plaza, located across from the Illini Union Bookstore, and to ride the bus until it returns back to Tranzit Plaza, all the while recording audio only for the spans of time when the front door of the bus is opened.

and the methods / tactics for capturing the information we want.
we experiment with the tape recorder.
we also try different means of recording the process:
we take photos, make drawings, map out our course of actions on
the dry-erase board, and capture video with a webcam.

02.01.07

2007-02-01T12:40:00.000-06:00

test. test.