HfG Info Screen Extension

The HfG Info-Screen-System supports the dissemination of content and aims of the OASIS Project. It was distributed internally, as the HfG Info-System is installed within the building in the entrance areas. It presents selected content on two LCD-screens. With the atria of the HfG being passed through by visitors of the ZKM - museums in the vicinity (the media museum and the museum for modern art) during their visit, the OASIS Content is being accessible to a wider audience. The HfG is located in between the two museums.

The aim of the OASIS extension of the HfG Info-Systems is the integration and the presentation of OASIS Content within the internal schedule. A computer terminal combines targeted information sources and relays their content on the two side-by-side mounted monitors. Presentation may be in two manners:

The standardised info mode presents college-internal announcements on the left monitor, i.e. lectures, special events or other announcements, while on the right monitor OASIS content may be played-back. This content reproduces the results of specific searches on the OASIS Platform depending on different criteria.

Within the curator mode specific play-lists may be compiled by a curator. In addition the form of play-back may be pre-defined. For example it is possible to screen the medium in full resolution on one monitor and to display the source information on the second monitor (i.e. artist/author; title, year, reason etc.).

Technical Extension of the HfG Info-System

To integrate OASIS Content into the Info-System a technical change was necessary. A system (computer terminal) was developed, which sends queries to the OASIS Platform and processes the results for this new context. The query itself may be compared to a search internet users can send to the networked partners’ databases via the OASIS Platform (http://www.oasis-archive.eu). Consecutively the search results are verified by the HfG Info-System if and by which player they may be presented. If an appropriate play-back tool exists, the results are saved temporarily in an SQL database, which generates a play list. The supported formats are currently: for still images png, jpg and tiff, video has to be play-backable by Real-, Quicktime and VLC-Player and by MPEG3 streams for audio. With a central point of the OASIS Project being the not saving or caching of content during a query only the OASIS IDs are saved for the referenced results. Thus the data itself is not locally saved, but only indirectly - via ID - earmarked. The Earmarking of OASIS IDs enables a direct play-back of the media (content) and metadata, without necessitating a repeated query.

In addition the referencing of the data plays an important role. Visitors are to understand where a video originates. That means that in addition to mentioning the artist, title, year and some other metadata information which partner institution provides the work is mentioned and that it is being presented via the OASIS Platform.
This seems to be an important issue in our age of information, where digital artifacts are often handled without care (keywords: rights properties, plagiarism and piracy).
The play-back of OASIS Content on the HfG-Info-System only fulfils a function of referencing: visitors are to be made aware of the existence of the platform, and to be encouraged to research further content themselves on the HfG in the theses archive as well as from the different partners’ databases.
Already on a graphical level it can be ensured that misunderstanding is eliminated if something is the rendition of a work or a reference to content of the OASIS archive. The emphasis is on the latter for the described system.

For specific events the HfG-Info-System may also be used directly as a play-back instrument. In this case not OASIS content is referenced in the local database, but play lists may be created which can for example refer to student works. In a connected - local or networked - storage system data sources of a high resolution may be saved, which may be played-back according to the play list - for example for the yearly “Rundgang”. In Germany this “Rundgang” is a common mode for exhibition at art colleges, to which collectors and the general public are invited for a presentation of current student works.

Technical Structure of the Info-System.

Info-Screen Extension: Schematic Draft.

Info-Screen Extension: Concept Draft.