The Databrella Project proposes an interactive public art installation in Portland that maps real-time traffic, weather, and social media data onto the underside of a large umbrella. Mobile users could interact with and help compose the visuals and sounds produced. The umbrella would be about 25 feet in diameter and composed of LED lights and wiring that would change colors based on the data and interactions selected. The umbrella handle would be made from recycled cell phones that play animal sounds.

1. Databrella Project
A proposal for wireless public art in Portland
Real-time traffic, weather and twitter topics
are mapped on the underside of a large
umbrella. Mobile users interact, select
topics, a message board, compose music
or create collaborative compositions.

2. Objectives
• Provide useful information
• Bring joy and amusement
• Cellular and Position info
• Inspire collaboration
• Empowering

3. Databrella Concept
• An umbrella on Waterfront Park visualizes the “city cloud”
• Shows traffic, weather, twitter topics,
• Collaborative, driven by cell phone app
• El Wire outlines streets, LEDs show status

4. Databrella
Concept
•The umbrella would be about 25 feet in diameter and composed of elwire and
2,000 LEDs, changing colors depending on activity selected.
• The umbrella handle could resemble a small tree trunk, created from 1,000
recycled cell phones. They randomly ring with bird and animal songs.

5. Realtime
VJ
Concept
• Video projects on underside of roof.
• Gesture controlled by Kinect
• Visual performance, mixes city themes with viewer gesture
• MIDI (or MIDI over WiFi), controls VDMX 5 output
• Multiple themes

6. Interactive Technologies
• TouchOSC Open Sound Control App
• Vernier sensors
• Arduino sensors
• Raspberry Pi
• Kinect and LeapMotion
• Modul8: Real-time video mixer
• VDMX: run video effects wirelessly from an iPad
or MIDI controller.

7. Action Items
• An interactive sculpture that fits on a bike
trailer
• An public artwork for 100 ft of sidewalk
• Interactive sculpture for a large umbrella
• All weather video interactive sculpture
• The $147 million Streetcar Project
designated 2% for Public Art!

8. Interesting
Projects
thebaylights.org

9. A few links
• interactivearchitecture.org
• www.eyebeam.org
• lighttroupe.com
• www.dorkbotpdx.org
• scrappdx.org
• http://c2.com/~ward/
• mmmlabs.com/w/
• wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_art
• burningman.com/installations

10. A few links
• interactivearchitecture.org
• www.eyebeam.org
• lighttroupe.com
• www.dorkbotpdx.org
• scrappdx.org
• http://c2.com/~ward/
• mmmlabs.com/w/
• wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_art
• burningman.com/installations