The Karlsruhe Moviemap was commissioned by the Zentrum fur Kunst und Medientechnologie (ZKM), a state-funded arts and media lab in the town of Karlsruhe, Germany. Karlsruhe has a well-known tramway system, with over 100 km of track snaking from the downtown pedestrian area out to neighboring villages at the edge of the Black Forest.

The entire tram system was shot in both directions from a tramcar outfitted with a camera triggered by the tram's electronic odometer (at 2, 4 and 8 meters per frame depending on location). The tracks assure unrivaled stability and match-cuts.

One intention was to abstract rather than simulate reality, to provide an experience not possible in the real world: the system allows continuous speeds up to one kilometer per second.

Another intention was to produce something collaboratively with and for the community. The Karlsruhe Moviemap has a different meaning and resonance to people who live in the Karlsruhe region, and this is obvious to observe.


Video (1:09)


"Karlsruhe Movie Map 09" is a complete reshoot of the Karlsruhe Moviemap in 2009 by the ZKM, transforming the original installation into a "then and now" experience.

See also:

Mediated Reality and the Consciousness of Place, Siggraph 1991 catalog

Moviemap Basics, ZKM 1991


Exhibitions

Naimark 1977-1997 Exhibition, Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, 2005

ZKM, Karlsruhe, Germany, 1997 (permanent collection)

Interaction '95, Gifu, Japan, 1995

The Exploratorium, San Francisco, 1992-3

Images du Futur, Montreal, Canada, 1992

La Triennalle di Milano, Milan, Italy, 1992

Siggraph Tomorrow's Realities Gallery, Las Vegas, 1991

Zentrum fur Kunst und Medientechnologie, Karlsruhe, Germany, 1991


Credits

for the Zentrum fur Kunst und Medientechnologie (ZKM)
with the collaboration of the VBK (Karlsruhe Tram Line)

Conceived and Directed by Michael Naimark
Software Designed by Christoph Dorhmann
Interface Hardware by Fake Space Labs
Additional Exhibit Design Joe Ansel and Bernie Lubell

Thank You K.O. Beckman, Joe Rosen
The Exploratorium
Apple Computer