The MaxWELL CyberDome Project

A New public space for on-line interaction:

Picture an enormous dome built of the remnants of obsolete 20th century techology. The outer perimeter is a ring of thick columns constructed from junk Chevy Suburbans and small jet fusilages turned upright and used as concrete forms. The overall impression is reminiscent of stone henge in form, but with a post-apocalyptic junkscape texture.

On top of the outer columns are old fuel-inefficient cars that can actually be used as seating by some. The vaulted ceiling is a medley of jet wings, old car windows and remelted colored bottles. Ceiling fans made from junked chain-saw blades hang down in several places.

Tucked between the columns are old cargo containers radiating away from the central dome like the rectangular petals of a blocky-looking flower. These containers define spaces for small groups to meet. Most of the seating is old car seats on cinder blocks.

Tables are made from thick glass from energy-inefficient buildings like hamburger joints and poorly designed shopping malls. The glass tops are propped up on old appliances and computer monitors and computers. The computers still work and the guests can see the screens through the table tops as the they enjoy food, refreshments and the unobstructed view of their fellow visitors across the table. They may be checking their e-mail alone, or conversing or a combination of mutual web-surfing and conversation. The positioning of the screens below the table surface allows a smooth transition back and forth from cyber-community to face-to-face and back again.

At night, a million christmas lights transform the ceiling into a spiral galaxy.

On one side of the dome a giant projection computer monitor briefly displays the URLs that people in the room submit to a central server as a way of alerting others in the room to what subjects/topics other people in the dome are currently exploring.

A cyber-jukebox plays MP-3 music requested by people in the dome.

The spaces between the cargo containers and the old Chevys plus a few other short sections of inner and outer walls are "bricked-in" with old televisions, mortared like a cord-wood wall. The old televisions are normally off, but their antennae and power cords all feed back to a central video server and occasionally screens will flicker on and offer a sound and sight bite from the past: A scene from a Bogart film, a Walter Cronkite news broadcast, early moon landings, history of rock-n-roll, WWII, Vietnam, fashion or art from decades gone by... as though the building is a sleeping giant from the past and these are dream images flickering in and out of its subconscious mind... On other occasions... the sound-sight-bites... are portals into the future...

21July2002

MaxWell: (verb) from the Australian "Max" as in "Mad Max" played in a series of post-apocalyptic movies by Mel Gibson. plus "WELL" as in "Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link".