Medium-specific properties of urban screens: towards an ontological framework for digital public displays

Abstract

The purpose of the present theoretical exploration is to lay the foundations of a platform-specific ontology of urban screens, which we define as an architectural scale media environment comprising two or more digital displays that can support interactive and/or artificial intelligence features. Still in its budding stages, this framework is intended to assist artists and HCI practitioners in the conception and evaluation of public space installations that heavily rely on digital displays. Using an architectural approach that analyzes urban screens in terms of medium specificity, this paper asks: "What are some of the key ontological attributes of urban screens as a computational medium?" We propose a taxonomy of five medium-specific properties articulated in relation to sensory modalities and modes of interaction. In providing an aesthetic, poetic, cognitive and experiential basis for understanding urban screens, this paper seeks to help researchers broadly consider their design parameters and generate new ideas.