Fra filmen Immaterials: Light painting WiFi. Foto: Timo Arnall

Seen by nearly 600.000!

Close to 600.000 people have now seen the short movie "Immaterials: Light painting WiFi", created by a team of reaseachers from AHO.

Read also: This is what the internet looks like

The near 5 minute long movie, in which the researchers visualize wireless networks in the neighborhood of Grünerløkka, Oslo by way of a four meter long "light rod", has received a wide audience on the Internet. On March 21st, just a few weeks after publication, Vimeo counts 549,000 views, in addition to over 47,000 views on Youtube.

Behind the film is the PhD research fellows and reseachers Jørn Knutsen, Einar Sneve Martinussen and Timo Arnall. The film is made in relation to the research project YOUrban, which examines the intersection between technology, the city and urban life. The project is hosted by AHOs Institute of Design and Institute of Urbanism and Landscape.

The film was officially launched at the conference “Cognitive Cities” in Berlin, 26-27. February. The conference’s aim was to bring together discourses and thoughts about technology and the city from a design perspective.

- Surprising
Although using the internet to display their work, the researchers have been taken slightly by surprise by how wide an audience the film has reached. The film has been noticed both in technology and interaction design communities, but also within design, art, architecture, urbanism and the news media.

- From the feedback, it seems that the project has had a popular cultural impact far beyond both the technical and aesthetic aspects of the film", says Einar Sneve Martinussen.

Showing the potential of design research
Martinussen thinks the wide interest is related to the way wireless networks have become a part of everyday life, and that few people have thought of this as a material or spatial phenomena.

- When we visualized the networks and gave them a visible form, we wanted to create tools and illustrations to understand and discuss these in a more tangible way. The broad response of the film has received indicate that we have succeeded, and that there are many possibilities to explore, communicate and discuss technology through design research.

Wide attention
In addition to the many views on Vimeo and Youtube, the movie has also received massive attention in various blogs and the media both in Norway and abroad (see list further down the page).