Babel Channel – Intercultural Communication by Moving Images in Public Space

The integration of moving images media into the public area was used almost exclusively in the advertising service. The central question of the project asks if those medias can be used for social requests, to be more specific for a better networking between a population living in a neighbourhood, and for a communication between the city authorities and the population, in particular where conventional channels fail, i.e. where people are dependant on a non-verbal communication.

A pilot attempt in a neighbourhood in Lucerne was developed and evaluated. 5 displays were interlaced and taped with a programme in form of interactive, 5 to 10 minutes long loops. Activities and offers in the accommodation as well as general information formed the contents of the programme.

The main goal was to find the relevant criteria for the efficient application of such medias as well as the development and organization of these moving picture programmes. A specific modular programme structure was the centre of the development, which has its own character and identity, and can be arranged as flexible as possible. A second goal was to gain experiences with such technically fastidious installations.


Focus of Research FSP Visual Narrative & Explanation
Reasearch Team Robert Müller (Lead) / Thomas Schärer / Bernard Weber / Nicole Wangeler
Partners Hochschule Luzern – Soziale Arbeit / Hochschule Luzern – Technik & Architektur / BaBeL, Quartier Basel-Bernstrasse Luzern / Visual FOOD GmbH / E-Advertising / BISON Systems AG / PC-WARE Systems (Schweiz) AG / Weber Hinrichs Design / Swisscom AG
Status completed
Financing Schweizerischer Nationalfonds (DORE) and Business Partners
­Lectures and Publications R. Müller, R. Aebersold, BaBeL-Channel, DOWNTOWN DESIGN, 4.Tagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Designforschung und Theorie DGTF, Berlin 2006 / R. Müller, Grundlagen Wahrnehmung - Wie wirkt Digital Signage?, Digital Signage Day, Viscom Europe, Internationale Fachmesse für visuelle Kommunikation, Düsseldorf 2007