Jake Barton
New York Observers

New York Observers is a documentary about "living landmarks": New Yorkers tied to specific spots, sharing observations of their locale over time. Just as one asks "can you step in the same stream twice"? the same could be asked "can you ever stand at the same street corner twice?" The flow of daily New York life washes around each of these living landmarks—they provide continuity in a city marked by change, but how has the city changed them?

New York Observers is presented through a "video viewmaster", a headset with immersive sound, allowing you to experience the city through another's eyes, using an interactive map to navigate between locations. Much of the video utilizes time lapse photography, allowing you to see the patterns and rhythms of daily life at the location.

Landmarks / Locations include:
Mansus, Food Vendor, 4th and Broadway
Vinnie, Landlord, Elizabeth between Houston and Prince Street
Rafael, Superintendent, Claremont Ave. and Tiemann Place
Pedro, Transit Police Officer, N/R City Hall Station


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bio:
JAKE BARTON runs a digital/physical design firm Local Projects. Current work includes a digital book for the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum/Pentagram Design, an interactive interview booth for Grand Central Station/Sound Portraits Productions and video viewmasters for the Tribeca Film Festival. He will be giving a talk on "Narrative Cartography" at the NACIS catrography conference in October 2003. See Localprojects.net for more details and other experimental cartography.

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related website:
LocalProjects

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