PIXEL, VOXEL, GLITCHED SURVEILLANCE AS AN CONNECTING MECHANISM
CELINE LUI INT 402 03 THESIS STUDIO PRATT INSTITUTE 2020
Surveillance has always been associated with crime and violence. Its virtues are overwhelmed by these negatives. Here, surveillance is approached as a medium for connecting people through observation, not as a means of control. The stereotypical meaning of surveillance is challenged through the proposal of a hybrid program: an observation tower and bar for blind dating. Connection through the act of spying is promoted. Three categories of users are proposed: the surveilled, the surveiller, and the external observer. The site is chosen next to Times Square, 119 West 45th Street, surrounded by news and television headquarters, and heavily surveilled to monitor crime and vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The site is surrounded by a pixel per inch envelope comprised of billboards, closed-circuit cameras and cellphones. The project investigates how surveillance can be used as a mechanism of connection by exploring the distortion within a glitch. A space of networked pixels, voxels and glitches is proposed.
SCALE OF PERCEPTION - SITE FOCUSING ON THE SUBJECT OF SURVEILLANCE, THE CHOSEN SITE SHOULD BE HEAVYILY SURVEILED. TIMES SQUARE IS SELECTED FOR IT IS MONITORED CONSTANTLY FOR BEING A TOURISTS CONCENTRATED LOCATION. 119 W 45TH ST / NEW YORK / NY 10036
OTHER THAN BEING HEAVILY SURVEILLED, TIMES SQUARE IS ALSO A PLACE SURROUNDED BY DIGITAL PIXELATION. FROM BILLBOARDS, CLOSE-CIRCUT CAMERAS TO CELL PHONE CAMERAS, EACH HAS THEIR OWN PRESENTED RESOLUTION.
BILLBOARDS
CLOSED-CIRCUT CAMERAS
CELL PHONES
23 MEGAPIXELS
6.3 MEGAPIXELS
463 PPI
119 W 45TH ST. / NEWYORK / NY 10036 WITH NEWS AND PUBLISHING HEADQUATERS AS SURROUNDING, THE SITE IS ENACTED WITH SURVEILLANCE ELEMENT. IF THE PRESNT OF THEM REPRESENTS THE TRADITIONAL DEFINITION OF SURVEILLANCE, THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO EXPLORE THE ALTERNATIVE OF IT.
A
ABC NEWS
B
NEW YORK POST
C
FOX NEWS
D
AMERICAN PUBLISHING
E
TIMES SQUARE
B
A
D
C E
SCALE OF PERCEPTION - PPI BY DOCUMENTING THE SITE’S SURROUNDING, THE PROJECT PICKED UP ON THE ELEMENT OF PIXELATION, INSPIRED BY THE GLITCH (0:15- 0:20) THAT WAS PRESENT ON THE BILLBOARD.
0:03 - 0:08 GLITCH 0:00-0:14 / 0:15-0:40 / 0:41-1:00 STREET - BODY MOVEMENT - FACIAL EXPRESSION PPI - PIXEL PER INCH BILLBOARD - CAMERA - CELLPHONE
PIXEL BOUNDARIES BASED ON FOOTAGES(PUBLIC/PRIVATE/SLOW/FAST)
IT FEELS GOOD BUT WEIRD TO BE THIS EXPOSED...
ACOUSTIC TREATMENT AT HIDING AREA (SURVEILLED) (PUBLIC)
I WISH I WERE CROSS-EYED SO I CAN SEE YOU TWICE.
VOICE RECORDER (PUBLIC)
I WONDER WHICH ROLE SHOULD I PICK...
I HOPE I DOESN’T SOUND BORING...
WELL, COULD YOU HERE ME?
TRANSITION WITH PROGRAM (SLOW)
TRANSITION WITH PROGRAM (FAST)
STEET VIEW / 0:01 - 0:14 (PUBLIC) (SLOW)
GLITCHES ON BILLBOARD SCREEN / 0:15 - 0:20
INTRODUCING PIXELATED ELEMENT / 0:21 - 0:40
ZOOMING INTO BODY MOVEMENT / 0:15-0:40 (PUBLIC TO PRIVATE) (SLOW TO FAST GLITCHING)
GLITCHES RESEMBLE WITH BILLBOARD SCREEN
ZOOMING INTO FACIAL EXPRESSION / 0:41 - 0:53 (PRIVATE) (FAST GLITCHING)
FISH EYE SURVEILLING / 0:51 - 1:00
POLICE:CHEWING
INTRODUCTION OF FISHEYE
TOURISTS:SMILING
VOXEL
GLITCH
FISH EYE / DISTORTION / PLANS
LCD SCREEN / GLITCH / SECTIONS
COMPACTED Z: GLITCH
SECONDARY PRIMARY
X : PROGRAM
COMPACTED ON THE BACK
Y: USERS FOCAL IN THE FRONT
BARREL DISTORTION MAGNIFICATION DECREASES WITH DISTANCE MIDDLE AREA : FOCAL WORST AT WIDE-ANGLE AT THE END OF RANGE
AS Z-AXIS IS INTRODUCED, IT IS PRESENTED FROM THE TWO OBSERVATIONAL BOOTHS (VISUAL + ACOUSTIC). EXTRUDING FROM 2ND TO THE 4TH FLOOR, THEY TRANSFORMED THE PROGRAM FROM PIXEL TO VOXEL.
SURVEILLED CIRCULATION
SURVEILLER CIRCULATION
PROGRAMS(HYBRID): OBSERVATIONAL TOWER + BAR(EXPERIMENTAL DATING) DN
UP
UP
UP
UP
DN
UP
UP
DN
UP
UPUP
UP
1ST FLOOR
2ND FLOOR
DN
CUMULATIVE CIRCULATION
EXTERNAL OBSERVER CIRCULATION
DN
UP
3RD FLOOR
4TH FLOOR
SECTIONS
B
SURVEILLA
A
ANCE / VISUAL
SURVEILLANCE / ACOUSTIC
ENTRANCE
1ST FLOOR BAR HIDING AREA FOR THE SURVEILLED
POUR CONCRETE FLOORING ACOUSTIC TREATED CEILING PANELS LIGHTING AREA WOODEN TREAD
PDS 4-ADU LIGHTING
RECEPTION
TAPPING LINES CONNECTED TO THE SURVEILLANCE ACOUSTIC AREA AND ACOUSTIC BOOTH (2ND TO 4TH FLOOR)
HIDING AREA SURVEILED
A
UP
UP
DN
45TH STREET
B
UP
1ST FLOOR
UP
DN
UP
DN
UP
DN
UP
UPUP
2ND FLOOR
3RD FLOO
OR
STAIRWAY TOWARD ACOUSTIC SURVEILLANCE (SURVEILED)
RECEPTION
UP
DN
UP
4TH FLOOR
RESTROOM& STORAGE & JANITOR CLOSET
BAR - PAIRED GROUP DN
DN
UP
UP
OCCUPANTS MUST SIGN UP ONLINE BEFORE ENTERING THEIR INFORMATION WILLAPPEAR ON WALL FOR PUBLIC INTEREST
BAR (PAIRED UP)
A
DN
45TH STREET
B
UP
2ND FLOOR
UP
UP
UP
DN
UP
1ST FLOOR
3RD FLOOR
OBSERVATION (VISUAL) BOOTH
OBSERVATION (HEARING) BOOTH
SURVEILLANCE (ACOUSTIC) SURVEILLER
DN
UP
P
R
STORAGE & LOUNGE
DN
UP
4TH FLOOR
SURVEILLANCE BOOTHS (SURVEILLER / VISUAL)
DN
DN
UP
UP
3RD FLOOR
GYPSUM BOARD PARTITION
F.O. WALL BASE CONTINUOUS DOUBLE STUDS AT JAMB (TYP.) JAMB ANCHOR AS REQ.
SURVEILLANCE BOOTH + EXTERNAL OBSERVER SURVEILLANCE AREA (BOTTOM HALF)
SURVEILLANCE (ACOUSTIC) SURVEILLER ONLY DN
DN
UP
UP
A
45TH STREET
B
3RD FLOOR
UP
UP
UP
DN
UP
1ST FLOOR
2ND FLOOR
R
OBSERVATION (VISUAL) BOOTH
OBSERVATION (HEARING) BOOTH
OBSERVATION (ACOUSTIC) SURVEILER
DN
DN
UP
UP
4TH FLOOR
SURVEILLANCE AREA EXTERNAL OBSERVER
4TH FLOOR
EXTERNAL OBSERVER
A
45TH STREET
B
4TH FLOOR
UP
UP
UP
DN
UP
1ST FLOOR
2ND FLOO
OR
OBSERVATION (VISUAL) BOOTH
OBSERVATION (HEARING) BOOTH
OBSERVATION (ACOUSTIC) SURVEILER
DN
DN
UP
DN
UP
UP
3RD FLOOR