@ MDP

Every sole tells a story. By collecting images of the bottom of people’s shoes along with some additional information collected form the provided survey, this inquiry looks to investigate the roll that footwear plays in our determining when and where to walk.

Scanning Questionnaire

Below are questions that asked participants while their soles were being scanned. The form on the left was our initial set of questions derived from our initial studies and explorations. The final question on that last side proved to be the most interesting. It is a simple question yet when asked, seemed to force the participants to access a different part of their memory. They really had to search for what the correct answer might be. We utilized this observation to develop the series of questions on the right which were used during our final research outings.

Submitted Favorites

The assignment given to participants via our business card is to point the card at your favorite pair of shoes and take a picture to send to the research group. Each submitted image within this collection builds a story for the individual and provides view into their relationship with their footwear.

Walking Activated Images

This series of motion pieces documents walking activity in the form of image sequences triggered by the movements within a set area of walking space. As people walk in the area, their movement triggers the visual capture of where they are walking along with a paired image of another near by view of a different aspect of that space for visual comparison.

Website: Results Sharing - www.streetbureau.org

One of the initial reactions that was common from people who allowed us to scan their soles was a desire to see the image. In response to this, we decided to develop a website to share the results of our research outings. Each image also displays the information collected from our questionnaires.

The Future Design Proposal

Our proposal is for the development of a device that would allow us to continue investigating people walking trends and habits. We have proposed a simple to build device that could be placed within a shoe insert in order to log where a user steps. Since tracking would only occur when a step is taken, other information such as mechanized travel and stops or rests would also be known. The device is designed to be open source hardware and could be purchased fully assembled or it could be constructed using parts available online. This will allow for a devoted community of users and makers to tweak, hack and subvert our original conceptions and take the resulting functionality into areas that we haven’t considered.

The default functionality of the device is to connect people to other possible routes and stops based on other people who regularly take similar routes or make similar stops.

The system will be developed so that an API is immediately available. This will allow designers, developers and researches direct access to the data collected.

In order to build buzz around the technology that we have proposed and to continue to build upon the interest surrounding the aesthetic qualities of the sole scanning, we are also proposing a launch event in which participants footwear becomes the primary method for defining the audio and visual environment. Upon entering the space, the visitors’ soles are scanned and logged into the performance system. This pattern, texture and color information then becomes the structural material available to the live composer.

In the end:

File Under: Concept Year - Term 1, People Knowing | documentation, final, on location, play, presentation, process, research, sampling, sampling photography, sketch