Detailed description (English): Leave your trail is the final project for the course Theories & Technology of Interaction Design held by Wesley Goatley at London College of Communication is a consequence of research on ultra-objects. After three stages, during which I conducted deep research on an invisible system, joined a group project on aestheticising the invisible, and intervened in the invisible, the outcome of my research has been Leave your Trail. It consists of an awareness campaign engaging cyclists. The idea is to sell a tool capable to draw a line while a bicycle is going. The aim is to create a line for each cyclist during a day that can show everyone the number of cyclists for each road and their desire lines. Showing all these lines to people would be a way to make citizens and institutions aware of the space that cyclists need. The invisible object becomes visible to everyone and this kind of visualisation itself is a powerful intervention that makes clear what kind of infrastructural implementations the city needs.
The aim is to join three aspects in a single project: having fun, exploring space and trusting technology. This would be possibly represented by a simple object that could generate a complex system able to visualise and intervene at the same time in the invisible system Cynemon. Bringing information from my previous research on desire lines, and looking at Copenhagenize, an organization that works for a better urban mobility in various cities in Europe, this could be more easily done.
A desire path is a trail created as a consequence of erosion, caused by human or animal traffic. The path usually represents the shortest or most easily navigated route between an origin and a destination. This is a fundamental aspect to consider while designing and looking at people’s desire lines was the main inspiration for Leave your Trail that is basically a tool able to show the desire line of everyone to all. In addition to this, the Critical Mass and the work of Italian artist Graziano Cecchini were two important inspirations. The first is a cycling event when cyclists ride in mass into to streets to reclaim their spaces in cities. Graziano Cecchini is best known for his work of “vandalism” art and big scale interventions.
Leave your Trail is an awareness campaign engaging cyclists on a specific day. Each bike is equipped with a tool that draws a line on the ground. At the end of the day, each cyclist has left a line of his or her path that shows desire lines of each of them. Showing the number of lines in particular areas can raise awareness among citizens and institutions on infrastructures needed by cyclists. Making the invisible object visible to everyone, these lines visualise powerfully not only new possible cycle lanes but also changes to existent ones.
Target group(s): Urban cyclists and commuters in general
Objectives: Raise awareness among citizens and institutions on infrastructures needed by cyclists
Expected Outcomes: Great participation from the cycling community after a social media campaign that can spread the news and attrached people.