Martin LC Series LED panels were used to visually present tweets as part of an innovative multi-media installation at TEDxHamburg, part of the popular TED nonprofit organization’s “Ideas Worth Spreading” public speaking program. Some 22m2 of LC Series LED panels were installed in the ceiling of the conference space and used to display live data from the global Twitter network related to TEDxHamburg.

The TWEETx installation at TEDxHamburg visualized tweets containing specific keywords by continuously scanning and filtering Twitter's data stream. The selected tweets were represented on Martin Professional LED panels as dynamically moving bubbles that sought like bubbles carrying the same keywords. The idea was to create a shared and engaging experience that encouraged people to actively debate a subject. Twitter comments influenced the graphics in real time. The installation was based on a generic software platform that searched for keywords within a tweet and combined it with metadata (tweet-user, time code, geolocation, language, etc.) and then visualized the findings on the basis of a custom real-time graphical engine. As people posted comments about the web-streamed event, the lighting system reacted to specific parameters such as language, geo-location, and volume of Tweets. The data, which is usually invisible, essentially created a live window on the data layer. The conference host encouraged the audience to tweet during the conference and as immediate feedback, the audience experienced a visual representation of their tweet move above them. This tweet bubbles, portrayed in bright colors to indicate language, traveled across the Martin LED panels above the speakers. Here they grouped in relation to keywords which gave insight into the communication and activities within Twitter. The slowly growing groups of bubbles gave an indication of the most popular keyword over time, and were articulated by the host, who also disclosed how many tweets each group represented during breaks. The intensity of the LED panels was adjusted during the course of the program; 75% during the presentation, 15% during the speakers’ talk, and 100% during the break and at the end of the program. Some 700 tweets were received during the conference both from inside the conference room and from others following the conference on the Internet around the world.

http://martin.com/casestory/casestory.asp?id=2284&Words=Tedx

Details

Project artist/ concept/ design/ planning : anOtherArchitect Berlin in collaboration with Kollision

Light design : anOtherArchitect Berlin in collaboration with Kollision

Light hardware (LED hardware) : Martin LC Series™ LED panels

Descriptions

Facade type and geometry (structure) : 22m2 of LC Series LED panels were installed on the ceiling of the conference room

Pixel distance : 40 mm pixel pitch

Luminace : 75% during the presentation, 15% during the speakers’ talk, and 100% during the break and at the end of the program.

Description of showreel : Twitter comments influenced the graphics in real time. The installation was based on a generic software platform that searched for keywords within a tweet and combined it with metadata (tweet-user, time code, geolocation, language, etc.) and then visualized the findings on the basis of a custom real-time graphical engine.

Participatory architecture & urban interaction

Mediacredits