Ok, let me set the tone (or maybe not).
This week I've had the chance to see this really interesting show on BBC about Richard Serra. Of all the interesting ideas showcased and discussed there was one that really struck me – this idea of his sculptures as creators of space. In a nutshell the sculptures are not objects, the object is the space created by the sculpture. This also means that, as Serra puts it, "each viewer creates the sculpture by being within it". This extraordinary interactive view on sculpture made me wonder how we could apply that idea of a sculpture being the creator of space in an online environment.
On the Internet web pages are the main objects. They are still pretty much self-contained objects with their own content and own URL address. On the other hand the space is the vast amount of data / information, continually created and 'floating' around on the Internet. In my mind I envision a "Serra-esque" web page in which all the relevant content is "pulled" from the space and where the web page is defined not by its content but by the way the data is structured (the way the data is displayed, the format in which is displayed, the sources and so forth). I envision a sort of extreme iGoogle or Yahoo Pipes where the only purpose of the web page is to define the filter and display mode of the data and not to display proprietary content. It’s not cloud computing but pretty close. Further, the filters and display of web pages would change depending on the user navigation which means that the website would be created by the interaction of the user within it.
I wonder if a brand could apply such solution for a corporate website and/or whether this concept is too revolutionary or just a brand tailored search engine. Thoughts?
This week I've had the chance to see this really interesting show on BBC about Richard Serra. Of all the interesting ideas showcased and discussed there was one that really struck me – this idea of his sculptures as creators of space. In a nutshell the sculptures are not objects, the object is the space created by the sculpture. This also means that, as Serra puts it, "each viewer creates the sculpture by being within it". This extraordinary interactive view on sculpture made me wonder how we could apply that idea of a sculpture being the creator of space in an online environment.
On the Internet web pages are the main objects. They are still pretty much self-contained objects with their own content and own URL address. On the other hand the space is the vast amount of data / information, continually created and 'floating' around on the Internet. In my mind I envision a "Serra-esque" web page in which all the relevant content is "pulled" from the space and where the web page is defined not by its content but by the way the data is structured (the way the data is displayed, the format in which is displayed, the sources and so forth). I envision a sort of extreme iGoogle or Yahoo Pipes where the only purpose of the web page is to define the filter and display mode of the data and not to display proprietary content. It’s not cloud computing but pretty close. Further, the filters and display of web pages would change depending on the user navigation which means that the website would be created by the interaction of the user within it.
I wonder if a brand could apply such solution for a corporate website and/or whether this concept is too revolutionary or just a brand tailored search engine. Thoughts?
1 comment:
Nice post and eloquently put.
Prompted by Rowan's POV earlier this week 'The Death of the Destination Website' I'd also been kicking around a similar thought…
I’d been thinking around the concept of ‘modular’ websites that assemble/dissemble to meet an individual’s personal needs. Rather than the death of the destination website, this would still exist for those who prefer/want the total brand experience (akin to browsing around a department store). However structurally it would evolve to become completely fluid; where all content is thin sliced and portable/ubiquitous for consumers to access at their own choosing (beyond and above RSS feeds).
Effectively this would come close to achieving marketing utopia - by giving consumers the right info, in the right way at the right time (& place)relevant to where they are in their search/shop purchase cycle.
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