Biography

George Pehlivanides is an interaction designer and interdisciplinary artist living and working at Thessaloniki, Greece.

He creates museographic solutions and interactive experiences for museums and cultural institutions, with research interest in the field of Cultural Informatics since 2001. He studied Graphic Information Design (BA Hons) at the University of Westminster with a master’s degree in Communication Design (pathway in New Media) at Central Saint Martins, London, U.K. Recently, he acquired his master's degree in Art & the Public Sphere (pathway in Artistic Actions and Practices), School of Fine Arts, Department of Visual and Applied Arts and School of Political Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece.

"TOPOS: Exploring urban interfaces of the city", is a site-specific sound installation consisting of a hybrid environment that deepens the physical space with 3D binaural audio. The aim of the project is to explore new forms of spatial perception of the urban landscape through a technologically enhanced immersive experience.

The project investigates the potential of the latest technological advances in geolocated augmented reality brought about by the overlap of theoretical foundations and practices from the research fields of applied arts, architecture and interaction design, as well as on philosophical and phenomenological aspects on the topic of public space.

Artistic project

Public space is a particularly complex subject of study since it is investigated by many disciplines, such as the obvious ones of architecture and urban planning, as well as other fields of research such as social anthropology, sociology, geography, ethnography, history and archaeology, political sciences and the arts, among others.

"TOPOS: Exploring urban interfaces of the city", explores our existing relationship with the public space by introducing new ways of experiencing the physical and symbolic properties of a given place. In this context, the project focuses on the exploration of space and place through psychogeography practices presented as an ephemeral site-specific event. 

The artistic proposal in the form of a sound installation concerns a phenomenological exploration of the urban landscape beyond the usual and dominant visual-centric approach.

It consists of a hybrid environment that deepens the physical space with 3D binaural audio (natural sounds, urban soundscapes, inhabitants' oral history records) providing new ways of multi-sensorial spatial experiences.

The project offers the possibility of perceiving the public space from a new perspective where areas and landscapes of non-urban interest such as abandoned spaces, forgotten parks, undeveloped landscapes, can be transformed with the contribution of art and participatory actions into spaces of open dialogue, urban activism and community based social activities.

Format: site-specific sound Installation

Size of audience: 10 to 20 persons. The public uses his/her own smartphone and dedicated headphones in order to experience the site-specific event.

Specific location: outdoor public spaces. Preferaply locations covered by Street View images from Google Maps (This option enchances the GPS accuracy). The proposed immersive experience works better in a well-lit environment. It is prefered to be experienced ith sufficient lighting (preferably until sunset). 

Timing / duration: not indicated