This is a half-sized view of the touch - sensitive home screen
from the "Who is Marshall McLuhan" kiosk. You touch on
icons to see and hear movies, audio, photos, books, biography and
interviews with Marshall McLuhan. Untouched, the kiosk plays the
content for walkers-by.
In the 1960's, Marshall McLuhan researched, wrote, and lectured brilliantly about the essential character of all media and their effects on people. Today, his insights and philosophies can help us understand the power of multiple media in an emerging digital culture.
This interactive piece had its roots as a simple HyperCard stack developed by Mark Beaulieu for his students at San Francisco State University's Multimedia Studies Program to explore McLuhan's contribution as a way to define the aesthetics of interactive digital media. For this kiosk installation, Beaulieu deepened the content and design to allow people to read, hear, and see McLuhan in thought and action through text, audio, and video clips from various sources, including the Marshall McLuhan Center on Global Communications in Toronto, Canada.
This Miko Plynth kiosk, designed by King Products Inc., was donated by Apple Computer Inc. for the entire run of The Medium at Theater Artaud in San Francisco, April 26-May 7, 1995. The hardware is similar to an Apple PowerBook 540c with the addition of a touch-sensitive screen. The interactive software program was written in Allegiant SuperCard.
Special Thanks to:
Mark Wu, Apple Computer, Inc.
Dana Morgan, Digital Dreams
Don King, King Products, Inc.
Nelson Thall, Marshall McLuhan Center on Global Communications
Chris Okon, Okon New Media
Mark Beaulieu, Digital Lantern
Timothy O'Brien, Modus Ensemble
Mark Beaulieu's McLuhan Web Pages continue to grow.