• Home
  • Archives
  • Contact
  • like okay then

24×7 deconstructing the status quo

Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Six Feet Above, Seyed Alavi’s Flying Carpet

July 24, 2005 by Robert Desideri

One theme of 2005 appears to be online mapping, something I’m very into. Google’s maps product arrived on the scene with amazing operability incorporating a clever tiling scheme to quickly render both traditional and satellite images with anchors at numerous levels of zoom and with dragability. And Google have included an API that even I can work out. MSN Virtual Earth is launching their mapping scheme tomorrow, I hope it’s more than a copy of Google’s implementation and I guess we’ll have to wait for MS’s blogger to tell us it’s, err, not.

IMHO, artist Seyed Alavi one-upped both aforementioned mappers with his public installation of “flying carpet” at the Sacramento airport. Alivi’s project consists of an aerial view of the Sacramento River woven into a carpet, one you can experience from eye-level above. This is fun stuff, like Google’s magic only you smile at this one without the intermediation of a browser.

Alavi’s carpet is like a fly-through in a video game, he renders the magic in bits of nylon woven into carpet paving the passageway connecting the terminal and car park.

flyingcarpet
photo credit: Seyed Alavi

A bridge is a connection between two destinations; it is not a destination in and of itself; it is neither here, nor there. In this way it is similar to an airplane, or a river connecting one place to another; here to there; a moment of flight frozen in mid air; a flowing river that takes us along with its current to another destination. In this way, the piece also creates a koanic relationship between a river and a bridge, since their ordinary position have been turned around, and it is now the river that is on/above the bridge.

Posted in ARCHITECTURE & ART, GEEKDOM, PEEPS | Leave a Comment

  • Recent Posts

    • Robert Cailliau Interview
    • Hack The New Black
    • Pizza and Key Lime Pie
    • Interesting Wind Turbine Design
    • Happy New Year
    • Better Than Maps
    • Common-Pool Resources
    • Gustavo Dudamel, El Sistema
    • August Vacation
    • Fun with Superconductors
    • Fun With IR and Wii
    • Fun With Sheep
  • Some of my pics

    pizza

    pizza

    corndogs as seen by an e72

    Pizza

    cheese balls

    red, white and green

    day at the beach

    pizza

    pizza

    pizza

    More Photos
  • Archives

    • May 2010
    • April 2010
    • January 2010
    • November 2009
    • October 2009
    • August 2009
    • June 2009
    • May 2009
    • March 2009
    • February 2009
    • December 2008
    • September 2008
    • August 2008
    • July 2008
    • June 2008
    • May 2008
    • April 2008
    • March 2008
    • February 2008
    • January 2008
    • December 2007
    • November 2007
    • October 2007
    • March 2007
    • February 2007
    • January 2007
    • December 2006
    • November 2006
    • October 2006
    • September 2006
    • August 2006
    • July 2006
    • June 2006
    • May 2006
    • April 2006
    • March 2006
    • February 2006
    • January 2006
    • December 2005
    • November 2005
    • October 2005
    • September 2005
    • August 2005
    • July 2005
    • June 2005
    • May 2005
  • a

  • Heads-Up

    Please Read This:

    LICENSING: If in a moment of madness you decide to quote something I present on this blog, please first read and understand the terms of the Creative Commons license. My and my affiliates' still images, videos and audio/podcasts on this site are deeded under the aforementioned Creative Commons license unless otherwise specified; contact me for written permission in advance of any commercial use. If a still image, video and audio/podcast you plan to use commercially or otherwise contains a person's image or voice you would want to get a release from that person before any use whatsoever (if you don't understand what I just said you should talk with someone who understands legal matters regarding right to publicity).

    LINKED CONTENT: Content on linked (outside) sites is not covered by this license, rather by the license of the linked (outside) site. Links to outside sites should not be interpreted as our endorsement of that site or content appearing on that site.

    ONE MORE THING: In case you're wondering, like many blogs information appearing on this one escaped to here from outside sources. And as you well know sometimes outside sources are not fully accurate or reliable. So please don't rely upon anything in this blog, including my opinions, without checking for yourself first. Also, 24x7 is not affiliated with anyone else who may have 24x7 in their name so if you're looking for a different 24x7 try Google. Finally, this blog is not intended to be used in the operation of nuclear facilities, weapons or aircraft. Peace

Blog at WordPress.com.

Theme: Mistylook by Sadish.