Low Rez / Hi Fi is an interactive public space project that activates the sidewalk and engages the public by interfacing between the public space of Vermont Avenue and the interior of the 1110 Vermont Avenue lobby. The project consists of full-scale LED matrices in glass vitrines (Lo-Rez) and a grove of touch-sensitive stalks (Hi Fi). Each environment traces the movements of passersby, creating a dynamic display of light and sound that both displays information and registers occupation.
Low Rez engages the public by broadcasting digital imagery on an LED pixel net. The net is made up of 10,000 LED pixels suspended by tension wires within glass vitrines. The screen has a pixel pitch of 2.4 inches, allowing for a very low-resolution image, but one that maintains a high degree of transparency allowing for visual interactions through the vitrines. Low Rez will carry an overlay of content: the building address 1110 and a live feed “digital shadow” consisting of contrast-adjusted images from a surveillance camera. The effect creates a real-time opportunity for the passerby to interact with her own image as well as the official content on the screen.
Hi-Fi consists of a grid of stainless steel poles which respond to touch by emitting musical notes, creating a new kind of public musical instrument. The unique sound samples are networked together so that each time a single note is touch-activated, a series of sounds are emitted from various locations within the “sound grove.”
