Point to Point

Mark Napier (b. 1961)
Point to Point, 2001
Networked installation, website, computer, projector, and video cameras
www.potatoland.org/point

Point to Point is a public art work that uses the motion of people in public space to drive an evolving graphic display. The display is projected onto a wall in the space and can be viewed as well on the Internet; web visitors can see the motion of people in the physical space in real time.

Sensors detect people as they walk through an unmarked area. Once the participants are in the area of these motion sensors, their movements (walking across the floor) are translated into a trail of text along the wall. The text is based on names, wishes, and statements that have been “donated” on the website for use in this project.
The resulting accumulation of word trails traces the movement of everybody who has passed through the work since its inception. The project transforms a public space into a performance space in which passers-by contribute to an art work simply by walking into the space of the art.