Spatial dynamic media system - amalgam of form and image through use of a 3D light-point matrix to deliver a content-driven zone in real-time

The core project within my PhD research has been the development of a system as an extension of existing media facades that allows me to test the representation of information and ideas as 'form' within space that is constantly generated and regenerated as a result of fresh input. The hypothesis is that this real time reconfiguration of space using light offers a variety of new perceptions ranging from information sharing to public art never experienced previously. During my research, I have established an extensive body of evidence that points to a growing scholarship around the details and impacts of media façade technological developments and the content displayed on them. In the thesis I define the boundaries of these technology shifts and enhanced content combinations limited to 2 dimensions. In my research I consider the technical and media implications of extending conv entional 2D screens which are limited currently to architectural cladding into a 3D matrix thereby causing an alteration to spatial perception through the content animating the 3D matrix. The core research-question is: When weaving together architecture and electronically applied and managed imagery, are their respective properties successfully interchanged to the extent that they mutually create a new architectural zone in constant flux, generated and regenerated through content that never stands still? I have undertaken four projects to develop my research hypothesis. I have developed a prototype system which, with the use of a 3D light-point matrix, alters space. The prototype system has then been applied in an architectural context, tested by applying 'designed' content to it. Lastly I have experimented with writing software 'applets' for a third party to adapt their own input for display purposes. I argue that with such a prototype system, a shift from an autoplastic determinated architecture to an alloplastic indeterminate architecture is possible [Goulthorpe, 1999]. This is a significant shift for architecture beyond the scope of a single PhD. I have concentrated within my area of expertise: media and architecture. By experimenting with a prototype system and limiting the scope of my research to examining the shift from auto to alloplastic architecture, I can consider whether this shift can be achieved through the manipulation of content alone and not rely on the appearance and status of the associated hardware.