PODDITTIES symphony
This project would not be possible without the generosity and expertise of Carolyn Strauss of slowLab, Greg Trefry of Come Out & Play, and Steve Lambert of Eyebeam.
At the nexus of the Information Age and consumerism we find that music and technology have been repackaged to suit our "me" culture, isolating us and stifling spontaneous interaction.
PODDITTIES symphony is a design intervention marketed to independent cafés, allowing laptop- and internet phone-users to influence the original, ambient music played on the café's sound system. Exploring notions of placemaking and conviviality, Mark Silver has created a simple, non-invasive interface that replaces conventional log-in "splashes."
Café-goers appreciate subtle fluctuations in the music, understand their place in the whole, and take away an alternate perspective of music and technology. Café owners will find symphony attractive, as it can be tailored to enhance the café's identity, it consolidates music and internet services into one package, subscribing cafés are joined to a worldwide network, and so forth.
And because PODDITTIES symphony delimits place with a wireless router, symphony spots can pop up wherever a router is found: in dorms, in parks, and so on. The PODDITTIES umbrella might grow to include other products and services concerned with music, technology, and conviviality.
