Lausanne, Switzerland – A collaboration between EPFL+ECAL Lab and ALICE, EPFL’s research division that explores notions of space, has resulted in a novel entrance to a city subway station that uses data as a digital space divider.
While privacy concerns have brought data to the forefront of consumers’ minds, it remains essentially intangible to many people. The Porte des Savoirs project (The Door of Knowledge) features screens of data throughout the station entrance, creating separate spaces through the different flows of information.
‘Entering the city can foster an experience of density in physical spaces, objects and encounters, and stimulate knowledge and information production. Literally streaming information into the public space, the project challenges our understanding of such an experience,’ explains the project team.
The use of data to challenge notions of space reminds us of our Vectorism design direction, in which designers find influence from mathematical data to create new aesthetics from vectors.