Mark Shepard

Sentient City Survival Kit

University at Buffalo - Departments of Architecture and Media Study
Website

Summary

With the design and presentation of ‘archeological’ artifacts from the future, The Sentient City Survival Kit playfully explores the dark side of computer-driven advancement in a fully networked, computer-driven city.

Abstract
The Sentient City Survival Kit explores the social, cultural and political implications of ubiquitous computing for urban environments. The project consists of designing, fabricating and publicly presenting a collection of artifacts, accessories and tactics for “survival” in the near-future “sentient” city.

As computing leaves the desktop and spills out onto the sidewalks, streets and public spaces of the city, information processing becomes embedded in and distributed throughout the material fabric of everyday urban space. Pervasive/ubiquitous computing evangelists herald a coming age of networked urban information systems capable of sensing and responding to the events and activities transpiring around them. Imbued with the capacity to remember, correlate and anticipate, this “sentient” city is envisioned as being capable of reflexively monitoring our behavior within it and becoming an active agent in the organization of our daily lives.

Few may quibble about “smart” traffic light control systems that more efficiently manage the ebbs and flows of trucks, cars and busses on our city streets. Some may be irritated when discount coupons for their favorite espresso drink are beamed to their mobile phone as they pass by Starbucks. Many are likely to protest when they are denied passage through a subway turnstile because the system “senses” that their purchasing habits, mobility patterns and current galvanic skin response (GSR) reading happens to match the profile of a terrorist.

The Sentient City Survival Kit critically explores the darker side of this near-future city. Conceived as an “archaeology” of the near-future, it posits a set of playful, ironic techno-social artifacts, accessories and tactics for their use that raise awareness of issues related to conditions of privacy, autonomy, trust and serendipity in the Sentient City.

Biography

Mark Shepard is a media architect and researcher whose work addresses new social spaces and signifying structures of contemporary network cultures. His research investigates the implications of ubiquitous computing for architecture and urbanism.

Recent work includes the Tactical Sound Garden [TSG], an open source software platform for cultivating virtual sound gardens in urban public space. It has been presented at various arts venues internationally. In 2006 he co-organized Architecture and Situated Technologies, a 3-day symposium bringing together researchers and practitioners from art, architecture, technology and sociology to explore the emerging role of “situated” technologies in the design and inhabitation of the contemporary city. He is co-editor of the Situated Technologies Pamphlet Series, published by the Architectural League of New York.

Mark is an Assistant Professor at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York, where he holds a joint appointment in the departments of Architecture and Media Study.