InterIsland Communication

Interface: Instruction Set for Strangers. 09/15/11
Inter-Island Communication Project explores non-digital ways of communication in our highly digitalized culture. Using two telescopes on either side of the East River, on Pier 17 and Brooklyn Bridge Park, we initiated a conversation between strangers on each island. The first message came from an Afghani woman on Pier 17 that stated "New York is Beautiful." The rest of the conversation was based on that initial comment. The conversation lead to an unexpected multi-cultural dialogue. Inter-Island Communication Project allows for strangers that would otherwise not see or speak to each other to interact. Although similar in context of the Morse Code using light this project differs from our other precedence of the longest sentence by taking communication out of the high-tech context. This alternative means communication provided an inefficient, old strategy, that became again novel to the people of this century. The project emphasizes people's notion of time and space.The advent of cell phones and the WWW make us forget the effort that it takes to send a message across a river with older ways of communication. We still relied on our cell phones for quick back and forth correspondence. As participants of the projects, we became impatient for an immediate response and relied on new technology. Our experiment revealed how dependent we are to modern ways of communication. Collaboration with Galina Rybatsky and Mani Nilchiani.