THE DIGITAL LANDSCAPE REVEALED HOW CAN THE MANIFESTATION OF INVISIBLE SPACE INTO REAL SPACE HELP US UNDERSTAND OUR EXISTENCE IN THE DIGITAL LANDSCAPE? THE AIM OF THIS PROJECT IS TO RECREATE SPACE THAT ONLY EXISTS IN THE ELECTROMAGNETIC REALM INTO AN ARCHITECTURAL INTERVENTION THAT OCCUPIES SPACE IN THE REAL WORLD. THE EVER INCREASING WIFI NETWORKS THAT VIRTUALLY SURROUND US ARE SPACES THAT WE ONLY ASSUME ARE THERE. WE TRUST OUR MOBILE DEVICES TO FIND THESE SPACES FOR US, ALTHOUGH IT IS A SPACE THAT IS UNDEFINED IN FORM AND VOLUME. THE FIRST PART OF THIS PROJECT IS TO CAPTURE THE NON-VISUAL ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS EMANATING FROM WIFI SIGNALS. THE EDGE OR THE LIMITS THAT A PARTICULAR WIFI SIGNAL REACHES FORMS AN ENCLOSURE, AN ENVELOPE OF ELECTROMAGNETIC SPACE THAT ONLY OUR MOBILE DEVICES ARE AWARE OF AND OPERATE WITHIN. IT IS THE AIM OF THIS PROJECT TO TRANSLATE THIS INVISIBLE SPACE INTO A SPATIAL, TACTILE, AND EXPERIENTIAL OBJECT THAT EXISTS IN THE REAL WORLD. IT IS A MAPPING OF THESE SPACES, BUT REACHES BEYOND THE CONVENTIONAL REPRESENTATION THAT OFTEN LIVES IN THE COMPUTER SCREEN EITHER AS ANIMATION, 2D REPRESENTATION OR 3D PROJECTIONS. THE PROJECT IS DRIVEN BY THE DIGITAL PROCESS. HOW CAN AN ELECTROMAGNETIC SIGNAL BE CAPTURED SPATIALLY AND TRANSLATED INTO QUANTITATIVE DATA? HOW CAN THIS QUANTITATIVE DATA BE TRANSLATED AGAIN INTO A THREE DIMENSIONAL VISUAL REPRESENTATION AND THEN INTO ACTUAL FABRICATION DATA THAT CAN BE CONSTRUCTED AND BUILT IN THE REAL WORLD? ISSUES OF SCALE, MATERIALITY AND ASSEMBLY ARE INTRODUCED, COMPLETING THE PROCESS OF TRANSLATION FROM INVISIBLE SPACE INTO ARCHITECTURAL SPACE.
SCREENSHOT OF INITIAL DATA COLLECTION USING NETSTUMLBER AND A GARMIN ETREX GPS RECIEVER CONNECTED TO A LAPTOP WHILE DRIVING THROUGH THE RISD CAMPUS
MAPPINGS OF THE RISD WIRELESS NETWORK SHOWING SSID, AVERAGE COVERAGE BY ACCESS POINT, SIGNAL STRENGTH. CREATED USING DATA FROM NETSTUMBLER AND MAPPED USING GOOGLE EARTH AND KNSGEM.
DIMENSION INFORMATION SUCH AS RADIUS, DISTANCE, WIDTH, AND ELEVATION ARE IMPORTED INTO RHINO 3D AND GRASSHOPPER SCRIPTING SOFTWARE AND TRANSLATED INTO A MODULAR PARAMETRIC SYSTEM READY FOR DIGITAL FABRICATION USING A CNC MILLING MACHINE, LASER CUTTER, OR 3D PRINTER.