CityWall is a large multi-touch display installed in a central location in Helsinki which acts as a collaborative and playful interface for the everchanging media landscape of the city. The new interface launched in October 2008 also allows working with 3D objects, which enables multiple content and multiple timelines.
CityWall presents images, videos, descriptions and discussions on how nature in Helsinki benefits and disturbs dwellers. A single tree, for instance, can be both a useful physical shelter, an appreciated element in the urban landscape, a source for an irritating pollinosis and a danger for traffic. Many of the changes in the benefits and nuisances of nature are, at least partly, dependent on human activities. The settling of rabbits as permanent residents to Helsinki, for instance, follows partly from global warming that allows released pet rabbits to survive winters in urban green areas. To participate in this discussion, visit CityWall Flickr page and add comments there. You can add images to this discussion by attaching tags "cwnicehki" for nice things and "cwnuishki" for things that are nuisance in Flickr (additionally put tag "cwhkirabbits" if the photo includes rabbits!). You will need to establish your own Flickr account for this (this is a free service).
The exhibition aims to evoke discussion e.g. on what nuisances people should just adapt themselves to, what nuisances they should fight or control, how different nuisances can be prevented and how benefits of nature can be improved. HIIT and SYKE use the exhibition in their research. Our studies aim to find out what benefits and uses people contribute and how an interaction-based multitouch input display works as a type of community chat tool to enable discussion on topical environmental issues.
CityWall also automatically downloads photos and videos from Flickr and YouTube that are tagged with tags 'helsinki', 'citywall' or 'cwhki'. This media is then presented in its own 'world'. Flickr images to CityWall have been added since May 2007. You can also send your comments to be shown on CityWall via SMS to +358505112572.
CityWall is located in downtown Helsinki, Finland. It can be found in Lasipalatsi opposite Forum.
The touchscreen technology and applications have been developed by the Ubiquitous Interaction group at the Helsinki Institute for Information Technology and Multitouch
The development and set up of CityWall has been co-funded by the 6th Framework Research Programme of the European Union (EU), through the IPCity project (FP-2004-IST-4-27571) which investigates Mixed Reality Interaction and Presence in Urban Environments. The installation in Lasipalatsi is supported by the Helsinki Cultural Office.
