NY Times- Moveable Type

Scope: Custom Software & Media System Consulting

In the fall of 2007, Three Byte worked with artists Ben Rubin of EAR Studio and Mark Hansen of UCLA to design the backend technology and infrastructure for their art installation, Moveable Type, at the NY Times Building.

This architectural media exhibit combines streams of archival and real-time text from the New York Times into an orchestrated information montage. Each of 560 small monochrome displays is coordinated to entice passersby to focus on a snippet that is thematically related to the nearby displays, digitally illustrating the network of ideas the Times stimulates every day.

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To support the visually complex user experience, the hardware system uses Comtrol serial device servers, a Yamaha DME 24 audio DSP, QSC audio amplifiers, Dell workstations, and gigabit network components. Three Byte designed the control system and worked with Excel Media Systems to a complete a thoughtfully integrated hardware solution.

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Three Byte was also asked to provide the software for the show control system which required a simple, yet extensible, scheduling mechanism for scripting playback of the creative scenes developed by Mark and Ben.  Using Medialon Manager, the show control system also gracefully handles device control, verbose event logging, and system presets to accommodate special events at the touch of a button.

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Hardware Challenges

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Software Challenges

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Tying it together

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Tech Stack

• Show Control (Medialon Manager)

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Project Team

• Olaaf
• Chris
• Mike

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