High Five, Proposal, 2006–2007

5 buildings, tarpaulin, cotton rope, brass grommets, satellite imagery service provider, custom software

Viewable on the web and as a gallery installation.

Gallery version runs on a repaired PC, Kubuntu Linux, and Firefox. Large-scale, site-specific, temporary project for downtown Austin, Texas.

Project proposed the covering five parallel building roofs on Congress Avenue with tarps in order to show up on an eventual satellite imagery update.

By using many 1 foot wide tarps stretched across each roof, the piece is custom fit, secure, and able to withstand long-term installation and weather conditions. The project is to be immediately removed after images of it have been integrated into Google Maps. This immediate negation of an online piece of information brings up questions of big data, trust, and ways in which aerial imagery impact our understanding of our environment.

Photography: Shaune Kolber