AlphaBeta Clouds

2012

Catalog accompanying exhibition of thesis

work in partial fulfillment of the require-

ments for the Master of Fine Arts degree in

Graphic Design at the School of Art and

Design, College of Architecture and the Arts

at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

—

On the cover

Cloud Writer Model E. Cloud Writer

typeface designed and generated with

software by the author, 2012.

—

Type set in

Utopia, designed by Robert Slimbach

for Adobe Systems in 1989.

Akzidenz Grotesk, originally released

by the Berthold Type Foundry in 1896.

AlphaBetaClouds

Cloud WriterSystem for Public Displaysof Metaphor

thin

king

making

speculative

practical

It is within the cloud — amidst that hazy uncertainty in which we

cannot decipher in from out, where time is irrelevant as now

and past collide — here, all understanding is made. Decisions are

felt rather than clearly selected; their outcomes are always

unknown. Like all of history, this flurry of action occurs in quick

bursts which change the paths of lives and shape the stories

later told. This is the squirming struggle, the labor and pain, the

pathos from which we begin to comprehend ourselves and

the world in which we act. After all, when the cloud dissolves, we

are left to bask in the full light of day. We should embrace it,

savor it while we can. We do not wish the clouds to return, but

without them, our fragile certainties delude us, keep us from

imagining new possibilities. We would stop seeing new patterns,

thus stop making new meanings.

Without clouds, we would stop dreaming.

On Clouds

Metaphors

Through Culture

History

& Technology

01

homeof gods

02

godsof today

03

driftingself-reflection

04

loomingtrajectory

05

etherealpresence

06

reflectivemass

07

cyclicalformation

08

amorphousspace

09

dangerouspower

10

whimsical play

“Souls cross ages like clouds cross skies, an’ tho’ a cloud’s shape nor hue nor size don’t stay the same, it’s still a cloud an’ so is a soul. Who can say where the cloud’s blowed from or who the soul’ll be ‘morrow?”David Mitchell, The Cloud Atlas

“They are a writer’s goldmine: a metaphor that is flexible and yet still powerful.” Rebecca J. Rosen, Clouds: The Most Useful Metaphor of All Time? in The Atlantic

ephemeralcyclicalknowingnessamorphousdriftingpredictivehidingetherealcollectionfluffy / loomingvisible state

ephemeralvmomentary / fleeting / shape-shifting / instantaneous / unique / never the same

cyclical systematic / structured / recurring / time / eternally recurring / instantaneous

knowingness home of the gods / looking down on us / heaven / mt. olympus / fantasy / imagination the possible / beyond reality / magic / oracle / spells / rain dance / ride a cloud

amorphous elastic / forming / shaping / constantly changing

drifting swaying / blowing / dispersing / carrying

predictive forecast / outlook / on the horizon / trajectory / path / future-looking / fate / fortune-tellers

hiding shrouding / opaque / cloudy / hazy / mysterious unknown / dividing sky & earth

ethereal dreams / utopian / ideal / silver lining / head in the clouds / bliss / cloud 9 / ecstasy / fantasycloud watching / patterns / interpretation / personal reflection / private stories

collection accumulation / aggregation / collection / centralization / information / storage / memory / thinking / processing / communication

fluffy puffy / light / airy / wispy / whimsical / playful / carefree looming heavy / dark / threatening / towering / dangerous / powerful / destructive

visible state condensation / semi-solid / vapor objectified / feedback / visualization of system (h2o) self-reflexive / self-referential

ephemeralcyclicalknowingnessamorphousdriftingpredictivehidingetherealcollectionfluffy / loomingvisible state

Intentional DiscoveryFrom Open-Ended

Investigation

to Technical Production

water studies

clock studies

movement studies

grid studies

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25

density studies

cloud type

first concept sketch

water system studies

control system studies

prototype

SpeculativeCommunicationExploring

Applications

for the

Cloud Writer

As a clock, the Cloud Writer literalizes the fleeting ephemerality of each

moment via large scale cloud numbers emitted in public spaces

throughout Chicago. The specific nature of each context builds upon the

temporal metaphors of the ceaseless forward movement of time

contrasted with the cyclical nature of clouds and water.

This title is borrowed from an essay on evolutionary theory and plastic

control systems by the scientist Karl Popper. Popper tells us there

are no perfect mechanical systems such as clocks—only more and less

predictable clouds.

Of Clouds and Clocks*

1

*

Inspired by Chinese Da Zi Bao (large word posters) and Group Material’s

Democracy Wall projects, this proposal injects the many voices

of Chicago’s citizenry into shared public space. A web site would encour-

age any citizen to submit a 2–3 word dream for the future of the city.

Depending on topic, these dreams will emit at points of relevant context.

For example, political dreams may be spouting in Daley Plaza,

while environmental desires are emitted along the river or lake fronts.

Cloudsof Change

2

Igniting renewed hydraulic and communicative functions to Chicago’s

many abandoned water towers, this system would communicate personal

time related messages to citizens moving through the city by train, car,

bike, or foot. Responsive software connecting to phones and GPS systems

would gather shared info, such as calendars, locations, etc. to let you

know which way to go and when you are running late. The clouds know.

PersonalData Clouds

3

What is the future of Chicago and its seemingly unlimited natural

resource: the water of Lake Michigan? As global water sources continue

to evaporate, what mounting pressures will be placed on Chicago

to better conserve or share its abundance? Can we write our own future

or only respond to it?

LegibleWeather

4

Detroit 1987

On August 16, 1987, Northwest flight 255 crashed

after takeoff in Romulus, mi killing all the

crew and passengers except 4 year old, Cecelia

Cichan. The crash of the md-82 planed is

attributed to incorrect flap settings created by

warning omission during taxi checklists

and by fault of the associated warning system.

Failures both human and mechanical

154 people died in the crash.

A

Madrid 2008

On August 20, 2008—almost exactly 21 years after

the nw 255 crash—Spanair Flight 5022

crashed just outside the Madrid airport due to

the same incorrect flap settings and same

omission of the same taxi checklists. Coinciden-

tally, 154 people died in this crash which

also involved the same aircraft type as nw 255.

B

Johann von Goethe stated: »Names are echoes and smoke.« A name is

also a memory. And a story. As an anti-monumental memorial, the Cloud

Writer is an expression of metaphor, emitting clouds of time and memory.

Using the web app, visitors can select the names of those whom they

wish to remember to activate a performance of that name in cloud letters.

The ethereal briefness of a cloud is as that of a life.

Fluid Memorial

5

user inputweb site to enter names

remote accessweb app allows accessibility

from mobile devices

databasetemporarily

stores names

softwareretrieves the names,

sends to controller

controllerconverts names to data,

sends to valves

cloud-writeremits a name each minute, newest entry

or cycles through list

enter a nameif time = :30load a name

translate lettersto valve positions

if time = :30load a name

translate lettersto valve positions

enter a nameif time = :30load a name

translate lettersto valve positions

if time = :30load a name

translate lettersto valve positions

enter a nameif time = :30load a name

translate lettersto valve positions

if time = :30load a name

translate lettersto valve positions

Image List

Creation of Adam by Michelangelo Buonarroti. Fresco cycle, 1508–1512. Sistine Chapel,

Vatican City.

iCloud by Apple Computer Company. Software & mobile device icons, 2011. California.

The False Mirror by René Magritte. Oil on canvas, 1928. Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico. GOES 12 Satellite, NASA, NOAA. August 29, 2005.

Beauty by Olafur Eliasson. Misted water, 1993. Image courtesy and copyright

of the artist. Photography: Poul Pedersen.

Cloud Gate by Anish Kapoor. Stainless steel, 2004–2006. Millennium Park, Chicago.

Weather Patterns by Loop.pH. Light installation, 2005. York Art Gallery, UK.

Blur Building designed by Diller, Scofidio, and Renfro. Built for the Swiss Expo 2002,

platform outfitted with thousands of nozzles emitting a cloud-like mist of water drawn from

Lake Neuchatel. Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland.

Playstation 3: Mushroom Clown. Advertisement by TBWA/Paris, France, 2007.

Silver Clouds by Andy Warhol. Helium-filled, silver mylar balloons. The Andy Warhol

Museum, Pittsburgh. Photographer unknown.

Chicago Fog image from www.epiphanydiocese.wordpress.com. Photographer unknown.

Other images generated or adapted by the author.

01

02

03

04

05

06

07

08

09

10

See more of the Cloud Writer project at

www.alphabetaclouds.com

Cloud W

riter System

for Public D

isplays of Metaphor

The

Clo

ud

Write

r is a com

mu

nicatio

n p

latform

that allo

ws u

s to

read

and

write

the

clou

ds via b

ursts o

f wate

r vapo

r le

tter fo

rms. Th

is exh

ibitio

n catalo

g d

ocu

me

nts th

e C

lou

d W

riter’s d

eve

lop

me

nt an

d sp

ecu

lates o

n its p

ote

ntial

for p

ub

lic app

lication

s—fro

m th

e p

ractical to th

e fan

tastic.

Alpha B

eta Clouds