This project was part of Ars Electronica’s ambitious 80+1 project. It formed part of the Linz 2009 European Capital of Culture Year, and was sponsored by Voestalpina and Linz 09.
Details about 80+1 project
80+1 website
Artists: Eugene Ahn [South Korea] and Hye Ki Min [South Korea]
Topic: Education
Location: New York, NY, USA
Website: www.linkcube.cc
LinkCube is a pair of networked units stationed in public spaces in two international cities and allows people to take pictures together in real-time. Using real-time data exchange, LinkCube creates an immersive experience — one of being together with people who happen to be in affiliated photo booths, but are elsewhere in the world. In this space, the users, who are geographically distant, are presented on screen as if they were right next to each other. This closeness lets users get momentarily acquainted with other humans to whom they would not otherwise be exposed. As the two parties appear in the same picture plane on screen, they position themselves appropriately, posing together in an effort to take a successful photograph. What results is a set of playful interactions. The ultimate photographs serve as a tangible record of this memorable virtual experience.