As more large urban screens appear across England, placemakers need to place big screens in context and to explore the ways in which they affect our experiences of public spaces.
Big screens are appearing in squares and on building facades across the UK, courtesy of the BBC and partners in the run up to 2012. Both the screens and the content they display take many forms –news, sport, local information and, of course, commercials. The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) has accused the London Olympics organisers of plastering the country in ‘digital wallpaper’ and turning it into an ‘outdoor Currys’ after it emerged that many of the 400-inch screens would not be temporary, as originally suggested. CABE says that the screens should be steered towards appropriate new buildings and spaces in areas where digital media play a positive role.
A big screen is ‘much more than a massive telly in an open air living room’ says the BBC. This is certainly true – they’re also used to great effect for interactive games based on movement recognition. A camera on top of the screen picks up and shows people moving in the square, and software such as that designed by ICDC (International Centre for Digital Content at of John Moores University, Liverpool), objects that interact with people’s movements can are projected – for example, players kicking a virtual reality football around the square, rather like a giant Wii Fit. Yet CABE remains sceptical.
‘This is not urban regeneration,’ said Sarah Gaventa, director of CABE Space. ‘If it is going to work, funding needs to be earmarked for physical improvements to the spaces for which screens are proposed, and for proper curating to ensure the cultural programme is high quality.’
Others agree. ‘The use of these screens will bring new potential and challenges for city regulators, artists, architects, urban designers, producers, broadcasters and advertisers,’ says UCL researcher Ava Fatah gen. Schieck. ‘We are just beginning to understand their potential for public information, art, performance, events and community engagement. We need to see more negotiation between commercial, public and cultural interests.’
There is currently very little information in the public domain relating to the set-up of big screens, says Fatah. Who can put up a screen? What policy and regulation governs the content on show? How loud or bright they can be? ‘I’ve been trying to collect information about the screens in ‘Live Sites’ 2012, and it’s very difficult to contact the officers concerned, or to track down the planning applications or consents.’
Beginning a dialogue, and creating a debate, between the parties concerned is the key driver of a project known as SCREAM, led by UCL and supported by UrbanBuzz. ‘We’re creating a database of those working in this area,’ says gen. Schieck.
‘We will hold two workshops later in the autumn to bring artists, planners and local policy makers together to debate and discuss the issues. We need to understand how screen technology can be implemented and to establish potential funding models.’
Energy efficiency and consumption is also an issues as we move towards a low carbon society. Recognising this, manufacturers such as Philips are already researching low energy screens, potentially part powered by renewable technologies.
