Near, 2004
Scott Snibbe

Near, 2004 computer, projector, stereo video camera, constructed floor, custom software

quicktime video

Near visualizes dynamically changing social networks. As people move about a rectangular floor, arrows are drawn that show who the nearest neighbor of each person is. For two people closer together than any others, this relationship is symmetrical. For others, the relationship is not symmetric – one person’s nearest neighbor may have a different nearest neighbor of their own. The dynamically changing diagram not only analyzes, but also affects people’s behaviors. It is possible to form loops, chains or an entire floor of pairs. As more people enter the space, the diagram becomes complex, revealing larger structures that emerge naturally from people’s interactions. There are also emergent unnatural relationships that arise by people deliberately manipulating the network.

The Nearest Neighbor relationship is the mathematical term referring to this diagram. This analysis is used by practitioners in many fields ranging from engineers laying out phone and cable TV networks to ecologists detecting whether members of a species occur in isolated couples. The relationship is also used in geography, public housing and solid-state physics.

Commissioned for the New York Hall of Science Connections exhibition.

Credits:

Eric Siegel	director
Stephen Uzzo	project manager
Scott Snibbe	concept, engineering, programming
Edwin Chang	stereo vision and graphics programming
Jeff Kennedy & Associates	exhibit design
Design Craftsmen	exhibit fabrication

Print resolution images [1 2 3 4]

(c) 2004-2005 Scott Snibbe