Architecture Machine Group: Electronic Archive

 
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Artist(s):


Collaborators:


Title:


    Electronic Archive

Exhibition:


Category:


Keywords:


Artist Statement:


    Normally, one does two things when using a traditional archive: select specific information categories from a large, general card catalog, and; walk to slide files or book shelves to obtain detailed information.

    The Electronic Archive combines these steps, allowing one to spend less time searching for and retrieving information. The optical disk in this system contains 5,500 images of buildings divided into categories such as: location, type, date of construction, and view (interior or exterior). By touching specific words or images on a screen, the user selects specific buildings from general categories and can then immediately see that building.

Technical Information:


    Equipment:
    Perkin-Elmer 3230 computer
    Discovision optical videodisk
    Elographics touch-sensitive display
    Panasonic monitors

    Software:
    P1/1, on Magic 6 operating system

Process Information:


    Publishing and Print

    Publishing and print have been synonymous since the invention of moveable type. Computers and graphics first entered publishing as production tools. As digital communication media replaces print, traditional graphic design principles are being modified and applied to the design and presentation of such things as computer interfaces and programs. High-density image storage devices such as video disk, provide the capability to archive, access and traverse massive amounts of graphic and textual information. With these and other tools in place, the design of information for dynamic, two-way communication between a user and computer can result.

Affiliation Where Artwork Was Created:


    Massachusetts Institute of Technology