Press to Record is an examination of emerging media platforms devoted to realtime media sharing and consumption. It is a study of a user interaction present in most media sharing platforms and Apps. The interaction of pressing and holding the screen of a mobile device to capture the world is a very interesting interaction. The interaction begins with a user pressing his or her finger to the phone. The interaction continues with the user capturing media of something in the world around them. The interaction ends with a user lifting their finger from the device and then sharing the media with the world. This interaction may seem simple however it enforces the intimate bond between a user and their device. The installation consists of a chandelier of cellphones with each phone displaying the output from the phone’s front-facing or rear-facing camera. Participants will be free to explore the installation and interactive with the phones in a natural manner. The piece is designed to bring out the playfulness in the audience. When a user activates the installation through either an installed device or their own device the real time visualization reacts to highlight the interaction. The piece explore the human behavior around user generated content which in some sense, is the basis of the emerging media platforms. The platforms would not exist at the scale as they do if the users did not create and share content of their own creation through these media networks.

Press to Record is a modular installation designed to fit within the context of the installation space. There are 4 components to the installation: Several devices installed within the installation space for activation by the public. A web application activated by the public on their own device and the installed devices. A large continuous projections surface or matrix of video monitors displays the final component of the piece a real time visualization of user generated content.

Below you will see the iterative design and development process that includes : debug views, screen recordings, 3D renders, and the Github Repo for the source code and more assets.