CPHsignals
Interaction design · Prototyping · 2012
Connecting two sides of Copenhagen’s harbor with maritime signal lamps, Morse code, and Twitter.
This project connected two Copenhagen neighborhoods using the old maritime technology of signal lamps, combined with the modern network of Twitter messages.
The aim of this urban intervention was to connect the two sides of the harbor, which are geographically close but still feel disconnected. It also showed how people communicated across distances in the past, in the context of Copenhagen’s maritime culture.
The installation had a graphical interface for typing messages. An Arduino translated each message into Morse code and transmitted it using old maritime signal lamps. An identical interface on the receiving side decoded and displayed the message.
Each signal-lamp station had its own Twitter account, so people could follow conversations between the two sides of the harbor online. People around the world could also send a message by replying to one of the accounts, broadcasting their words into the harbor.
#CPHsignals was a fully functional prototype that sparked interactions across Copenhagen’s harbor. The signal lamps were kindly supplied by maritime-antiques.dk. Special thanks to Sebastian Schuster for his development support.
A project together with Ana Catharina Marques and Kostantinos Frantzis for the Systems & Layers class at CIID. Faculty: Adam Greenfield & Engin Ayaz.
