Shared-Screen Interaction: Engaging Groups in Map-Mediated Nonverbal Communication

In this chapter, we examine how mass communication can be extended with collaborative interactivity on a shared screen that facilitates and promotes cooperation between two opposing groups of people. In particular, a shared screen that displays a map narrative becomes a representation of a shared physical space, which is claimed by two conflicting groups. In our work, a double screen projection is used to portray dynamic graphics and narratives, which are made interactive through motion-tracking input from a camera. In the 1970s and 1980s, early video-art installations explored the links between television, architectural space, and community identity. During the 1990s and later, the artistic inspiration caught on with research labs, which developed several systems for Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW). In contrast to the traditional CSCW approach, we focus on nonverbal communication and we make an effort to bring together artistic and scientific aspects of earlier works. For this purpose we take the city of Jerusalem as a case study–a city of extraordinary historic and religious meaning. The video installation depicts the Israeli-Palestinian struggle for territorial and demographic hegemony, which has transformed the city into a unique urban constellation. The resources and content of the interactive video installation are based on a book published on the same topic, titled “City of Collision: Jerusalem and the Principles of Conflict Urbanism” (Misselwitz and Rieniets 2006). The book presents a unique collection of essays, maps, and photographs, gathered by Israeli, Palestinian, and international authors (Fig. 5.1). However, it cannot provide the immediacy and engagement opportunities of a large-scale interactive video system, which is installed in a public space.