Buzz Bubbles

What if Buzz were linked to the real world?

“Page.xx seems to be popular in the Asian region. (Access region data)”
“Page.xx has suddenly gained attention this week. (Change in access count)”
“People who like Page.xx also seem to visit Page.yy. (Page movement history)”

This project combines access data from the 2009 Ars Electronica Festival website with the festival catalog to create a speculative bookstore that stimulates interest in participating artists and works.
We designed a system that generates “Buzz” based on people’s interests and activities on the Ars Electronica website, mapping this Buzz to specific pages in the festival catalog. This Buzz is then printed as speech bubbles. In this conceptual bookstore, every time the website is accessed, a new bubble is generated, and the printed bubbles fall from the ceiling.

This project is the result of a joint initiative with Dentsu, begun in 2008, presenting a vision for the future of cultural advertising. It ironically highlights insights into marketing based on online behaviors, which began expanding in the mid-2000s, and prompts further discussion.