1000 Singapores (Exhibition)

For the 2010 Venice Architecture Biennale (Architecture - La Biennale di Venezia) the Singapore Pavilion set out to offer a "glimpse of [the] country and its development through a 'physical slice' of [the] landscape" through 1000 Singapores - A Model of the Compact City. The premise for the exhibition was based around the following:

"Singapore is capable of housing 6.5 million people. Singapore occupies only about 710 sq km. Multiply that by 1000, and it is possible to fit the entire population of the world into a land area approximately twice that of Italy, equal to Texas, one-fifth of India, and one-tenth of China. 1000 Singapores - A Model of the Compact City is also about the thousand faces of a high-density city-state - a portrait of the diversity of the living environment and the people who live in it. Ultimately, if 6.5 million people may be able to live sustainably on 710 sq km, this can offer a powerful model for the compact city of the future."

The exhibition presented a physical model of the slice through Singpaore's landscape, with a selection of photographs and diagrams corresponding to the model.

The exhibition projected out of the main gallery
space due to the length of the model.

The information was presented in such a way that, despite the quantity of information on display, it was still digestible; with the relationship between the model and images clear without the need for any explanation. This was aided through the simple, reductive diagrams.

The simplicity of the space aided the reading of the
information presented.

Through the use of a linear, transversal trajectory through the entire city viewers were able to explore the changing physical/natural/urban/rural/built landscape and as such understand the city with more clarity (although admittedly through a reductive model).

Digital representation of the project.

The exhibition ran from 26th August 2010 to 21st November 2010 at the Ground Floor Gallery Istituto Proviniciale per I'Infanzia, with an accompanying book. The online catalogue of the research, include the digital representation of the model is still available to view here.

IBM THINK Exhibit

The IBM Think Exhibit is currently taking place at the Lincon Center in New York (September 23rd 2011 to October 23rd 2011) and combines "three unique experiences to engage visitors in a conversation about how we can improve the way we live and work."

A 123-foot digital wall is being used to visualize, in real time, live data being streamed from systems surrounding the exhibit. The data ranges from traffic on Broadway to solar energy to air quality. Inside the exhibit visitors are immersed in a digital environment, with 40 7-foot tall data screens that show them a 12-minute film: "A kaleidoscope of images and sound ... They are enveloped in a rich narrative about the pattern of progress, told through awe-inspiring stories of the past and present." Finally, at the conclusion of the film the 40 screens (or 'media panels') become interactive touchscreens.

IBM Think Exhibit Data Wall (Image: IBM Think Exhibit)

On the various mapping techniques being used the organisers have this to say:

"All the information we’re collecting becomes much more effective when it’s organized. We’ve used maps to organize data for millennia. Throughout history, maps have revealed patterns in what appeared to be chaos, inspired explorers, and guided development and innovation. Now, our maps are more powerful and insightful than ever. They’re dynamic, multi-dimensional, and collaborative. Today’s mapping platforms give us the ability to organize and express information about any facet from every perspective—in real time."

All of the information (the data) being collected is being used to inform models to predict future behaviour, from physical prototypes to mathematical calculations. New tools are reducing the risk associated with these predictions: "Supercomputers, analytics software, and networking technologies allow us to simulate the behaviour and interactions of vast systems."