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• ROGÉRIO CAETANO
• Belo Horioznte
• Brazil

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"Cosmopolitan Squares" - building public video pannels in different cities for people to see and talk to each other

1) Two video pannels (each one on a public square in different cities) with the dimensions, say, of 1.50 x 1 meter. These pannels should be placed 50cm above the ground level and could have a camera installed at the height of, say, 1.70 m above the ground;
2) Someone in Athens, let us say, should come closer to the pannel and see live images and sounds broadcast installed in Brasilia, for example... People could spontaneusly get closer to these devices and talk or say hello to someone at the other side.
My point is to take the technologies of webcams etc to the public sphere, so as to create "Cosmopolitan squares".
People should schedule appointments before these pannels... Someone who has just arrived from a flight could schedule a meeting the day after with relatives or friends in the city of origin.
From this idea many unfoldings could derive...
In the most important touristic city of a country, 5 pannels, let us say, could be installed, each one representing a city from the other continents.
It is for sure that problems derived from security questions and weather conditions could interfere with this idea. But some kind of vigilance could be placede ner the device so as to avoid vandalism. As for weather problems are concerned, in each country the places chosen should have to be protected or prepared to receive the equipment.