Alpha Beta Clouds
2012 Catalog accompanying exhibition of thesis work in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design at the School of Art and Design, College of Architecture and the Arts at the University of Illinois at Chicago. — On the cover Cloud Writer Model E. Cloud Writer typeface designed and generated with software by the author, 2012. — Type set in Utopia, designed by Robert Slimbach for Adobe Systems in 1989. Akzidenz Grotesk, originally released by the Berthold Type Foundry in 1896.
Alpha Beta Clouds
Cloud Writer System for Public Displays of Metaphor
making
thinking
speculative
practical
It is within the cloud — amidst that hazy uncertainty in which we cannot decipher in from out, where time is irrelevant as now and past collide — here, all understanding is made. Decisions are felt rather than clearly selected; their outcomes are always unknown. Like all of history, this flurry of action occurs in quick bursts which change the paths of lives and shape the stories later told. This is the squirming struggle, the labor and pain, the pathos from which we begin to comprehend ourselves and the world in which we act. After all, when the cloud dissolves, we are left to bask in the full light of day. We should embrace it, savor it while we can. We do not wish the clouds to return, but without them, our fragile certainties delude us, keep us from imagining new possibilities. We would stop seeing new patterns, thus stop making new meanings.
Without clouds, we would stop dreaming.
On Clouds Metaphors Through Culture History & Technology
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home of gods
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gods of today
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drifting self-reflection
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looming trajectory
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ethereal presence
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reflective mass
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cyclical formation
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amorphous space
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dangerous power
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whimsical play
“Souls cross ages like clouds cross skies, an’ tho’ a cloud’s shape nor hue nor size don’t stay the same, it’s still a cloud an’ so is a soul. Who can say where the cloud’s blowed from or who the soul’ll be ‘morrow?” David Mitchell, The Cloud Atlas
“They are a writer’s goldmine: a metaphor that is flexible and yet still powerful.” Rebecca J. Rosen, Clouds: The Most Useful Metaphor of All Time? in The Atlantic
ephemeral cyclical knowingness amorphous drifting predictive hiding ethereal collection fluffy / looming visible state
ephemeralvmomentary / fleeting / shape-shifting / instantaneous / unique / never the same cyclical systematic / structured / recurring / time / eternally recurring / instantaneous knowingness home of the gods / looking down on us / heaven / mt. olympus / fantasy / imagination the possible / beyond reality / magic / oracle / spells / rain dance / ride a cloud amorphous elastic / forming / shaping / constantly changing drifting swaying / blowing / dispersing / carrying predictive forecast / outlook / on the horizon / trajectory / path / future-looking / fate / fortune-tellers hiding shrouding / opaque / cloudy / hazy / mysterious unknown / dividing sky & earth ethereal dreams / utopian / ideal / silver lining / head in the clouds / bliss / cloud 9 / ecstasy / fantasy cloud watching / patterns / interpretation / personal reflection / private stories collection accumulation / aggregation / collection / centralization / information / storage / memory / thinking / processing / communication fluffy puffy / light / airy / wispy / whimsical / playful / carefree looming heavy / dark / threatening / towering / dangerous / powerful / destructive visible state condensation / semi-solid / vapor objectified / feedback / visualization of system (h2o) self-reflexive / self-referential
Intentional Discovery From Open-Ended Investigation to Technical Production
water studies
clock studies
movement studies
grid studies
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density studies
cloud type
first concept sketch
water system studies
control system studies
prototype
Speculative Communication Exploring Applications for the Cloud Writer
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Of Clouds and Clocks*
As a clock, the Cloud Writer literalizes the fleeting ephemerality of each moment via large scale cloud numbers emitted in public spaces throughout Chicago. The specific nature of each context builds upon the temporal metaphors of the ceaseless forward movement of time contrasted with the cyclical nature of clouds and water.
*
This title is borrowed from an essay on evolutionary theory and plastic control systems by the scientist Karl Popper. Popper tells us there are no perfect mechanical systems such as clocks— only more and less predictable clouds.
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Clouds of Change
Inspired by Chinese Da Zi Bao (large word posters) and Group Material’s Democracy Wall projects, this proposal injects the many voices of Chicago’s citizenry into shared public space. A web site would encourage any citizen to submit a 2–3 word dream for the future of the city. Depending on topic, these dreams will emit at points of relevant context. For example, political dreams may be spouting in Daley Plaza, while environmental desires are emitted along the river or lake fronts.
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Personal Data Clouds
Igniting renewed hydraulic and communicative functions to Chicago’s many abandoned water towers, this system would communicate personal time related messages to citizens moving through the city by train, car, bike, or foot. Responsive software connecting to phones and GPS systems would gather shared info, such as calendars, locations, etc. to let you know which way to go and when you are running late. The clouds know.
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Legible Weather
What is the future of Chicago and its seemingly unlimited natural resource: the water of Lake Michigan? As global water sources continue to evaporate, what mounting pressures will be placed on Chicago to better conserve or share its abundance? Can we write our own future or only respond to it?
Detroit 1987
A
On August 16, 1987, Northwest flight 255 crashed after takeoff in Romulus, mi killing all the crew and passengers except 4 year old, Cecelia Cichan. The crash of the md-82 planed is attributed to incorrect flap settings created by warning omission during taxi checklists and by fault of the associated warning system. Failures both human and mechanical 154 people died in the crash.
Madrid 2008
B
On August 20, 2008—almost exactly 21 years after the nw 255 crash—Spanair Flight 5022 crashed just outside the Madrid airport due to the same incorrect flap settings and same omission of the same taxi checklists. Coincidentally, 154 people died in this crash which also involved the same aircraft type as nw 255.
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Fluid Memorial
Johann von Goethe stated: ÂťNames are echoes and smoke.ÂŤ A name is also a memory. And a story. As an anti-monumental memorial, the Cloud Writer is an expression of metaphor, emitting clouds of time and memory. Using the web app, visitors can select the names of those whom they wish to remember to activate a performance of that name in cloud letters. The ethereal briefness of a cloud is as that of a life.
if time = :30 if time = :30 load a name load a name
translate letters translate letters to to valve positions valve positions
if time = :30 load a name
enter a name
user input
remote access
web site to enter names
web app allows accessibility from mobile devices
if time = :30 if time = :30 load a name load a name
translate letters translate letters to to valve positions valve positions
database
software
controller
cloud-writer
temporarily stores names
retrieves the names, sends to controller
converts names to data, sends to valves
emits a name each minute, newest entry or cycles through list
tra to
Image List
Creation of Adam by Michelangelo Buonarroti. Fresco cycle, 1508–1512. Sistine Chapel, Vatican City.
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iCloud by Apple Computer Company. Software & mobile device icons, 2011. California.
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The False Mirror by René Magritte. Oil on canvas, 1928. Museum of Modern Art, New York.
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Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico. GOES 12 Satellite, NASA , NOAA . August 29, 2005.
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Beauty by Olafur Eliasson. Misted water, 1993. Image courtesy and copyright of the artist. Photography: Poul Pedersen.
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Cloud Gate by Anish Kapoor. Stainless steel, 2004 – 2006. Millennium Park, Chicago.
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Weather Patterns by Loop.pH. Light installation, 2005. York Art Gallery, UK .
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Blur Building designed by Diller, Scofidio, and Renfro. Built for the Swiss Expo 2002, platform outfitted with thousands of nozzles emitting a cloud-like mist of water drawn from Lake Neuchatel. Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland.
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Playstation 3: Mushroom Clown. Advertisement by TBWA /Paris, France, 2007.
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Silver Clouds by Andy Warhol. Helium-filled, silver mylar balloons. The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh. Photographer unknown.
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Chicago Fog image from www.epiphanydiocese.wordpress.com. Photographer unknown. Other images generated or adapted by the author.
See more of the Cloud Writer project at www.alphabetaclouds.com
Alpha Beta Clouds Cloud Writer System for Public Displays of Metaphor
The Cloud Writer is a communication platform that allows us to read and write the clouds via bursts of water vapor letter forms. This exhibition catalog documents the Cloud Writer’s development and speculates on its potential for public applications—from the practical to the fantastic.