“Sunset Boulevard” by Crane, MacDonald, Minneman and Winet
Conference:
Type(s):
Entry Number: 28
Title:
- Sunset Boulevard
Program Title:
- Electric Garden
Presenter(s):
Project Affiliation:
- Xerox PARC
Description:
Interactive narrative hits the street. Motorists on Hollywood’s legendary Sunset Boulevard activate and control a drive-by soap opera playing on two outdoor billboard-sized TVs at Billboard Live, a high-tech nightclub.
Two ubiquitous consumer technologies (radio car-security keyfobs and garage-door openers) allow the story to be steered by radio signals from the passing vehicles of this driven metropolis. Viewer participation ignites curiosities about quotidian dramas and life behind closed doors as the electronic garage door, on the screen, opens to reveal unexpected secrets. A soundtrack is transmitted on an ultra-low-power radio station associated with the displays.
Viewers at the Los Angeles Convention Center also observe and participate in the Sunset proceedings.
