A stand that caught my eye by way of its sheer simplicity was at first puzzling: two rows of vertical tubes set upon two white, narrow ledges were the booth's only items. This was clearly not furniture, but what sort of product could it be? As it turned out, Passage for Peace is neither furniture, nor product, but a public installation project meant to bring together people on opposite sides of the globe for moments where they can be connected through communication, sound and peace. The small-scale version of an installation that has yet to come to fruition stayed with me, as did the explanation by Akbar Dhanaliwala of Pocobor who worked with Knoend's Ivy Chuang to bring Passage for Peace to Milan. Visitors to the stand touched the tubes, watched them light up and cause tubes on the opposite side of the room to vibrate, adding sound to the mix. A simple gesture, a lot of technology and countless smiles. Ivy Chuang takes the time to explain further.

Just getting such a project underway and opening the dialogue has made you happy, but how close is this dream to coming true? Who are the faces behind it?

I had the idea for the concept in 2005, and it sat stagnant in my mind for 4 years until earlier this year, I decided the concept deserved a chance beyond paper and theory. I knew that the technology was possible as soon as we started to see broadband flourish; I thought the technology wouldn't be extremely difficult nor complicated, but it wasn't something that I wanted to tackle myself. I knew by finding a technology partner, the project would progress much smoother and faster, and this is when I approached, Pocobor, a smart product design firm also based in San Francisco. We kicked off the project in February. Pocobor made sure all the technology worked seamlessly with the design, Knoend was responsible for the physical elements of the design, and together, we completed a working prototype and presented it at Salone Satellite in Milan in mid-April.

There are a lot of hoops to jump through for this project to become a reality. It is a public art concept that is supposed to be placed in large city plazas or public spaces. The size of the project requires a large of amount of materials and necessitates structural engineering. The technology we utilized wasn't based on WIFI or 3G, so we would still need to further develop the technology for the installation to be able to communicate from city to city. There need to be a lot of players on board to bring this project to fruition - I would say if all the stars aligned, funding, government support from two sister cities, construction and technology, etc., then maybe we could see this project in full scale in 3-5 years, but that's just me talking dream talk.





Passage for Peace is much more than a design project, as it combines technology, public art and music. What was the original inspiration for this multidisciplinary concept and has the idea changed along the way?

This project evolved out of a class that I took at California College of the Arts. The project brief was to utilize Ambient Technology to create a living war memorial. Most war memorials are created after a conflict has already ended, and while the monuments erected provide a medium for us to mourn our losses, they do not connect us to events that are currently unfolding, nor do they allow any dialogue or influence on the outcome of a conflict. Ambient Technology is the idea of amassing real-time data and filtering and presenting it in a way that reflects the data.

I decided for the project to focus not on any singular war, but to think about hope and peace in reflection for all wars, previous and current. I also wanted to provide a way for people to interact and connect to each other in order to feel solidarity and unity. The original design consisted of archways that formed a passageway. The entire arch was touch-sensitive, and would illuminate only where touched - someone else in another city could make a connection on the illuminated spot and brighten the light intensity in that area - a sustained touch and a wish for peace would result in the light escaping the hands and travelling up the side of the arch to illuminate the word "Peace" in the center top of the arch.

This design changed when it came time to build a working prototype.

First the arch shape would be extremely difficult and costly to develop, both materials- and technology-wise even on a scale size. Secondly, the original design did not incorporate any element of sound. With the inclusion of sound, there would also be a tactile element, as the vibration of sound could be felt in interaction. So by modifying the design, I was able to include two additional senses to the experience, and also make the overall concept easier to develop and construct.

The original concept was for this installation to begin its journey in 5 cities concurrently and then migrate year by year: the first 5 cities being the capitals of the UN Security Council. However, given the amount of effort that it would take for the project to complete in just 2 cities, it's just as well that they become a permanent fixture of peace in those cities that agree to host it, whether they are capitals or not.

The intended scale in my mind is of 1 meter columns, with heights of up to 30m. These are quite large, especially with 25 columns in total. I think there is some flexibility in this scale. Also if the columns are arranged in a circle rather than a straight line, I feel that this would not dilute the concept, but might make the installation more feasible for spaces to contain it.





Passage for Peace will rely on the use of gestural interconnectivity. Can you explain this concept to us?

I created the term Gestural Interconnectivity to summarize the idea of taking our gestures and creating interlinked connections. By transmitting our gestures via wireless technology, we are able to make connections in a physical way rather than just virtually. We are accustomed to connect through a phone, or a keyboard and monitor, there are elements of sound, sight, and touch, but they are all through an unnatural interface and the amount of physical gesture is limited to your fingertips. With broadband technology these days we can transmit our gestures and show them in ways beyond a flat screen. With the passage of peace installation, one person's presence in one city could be seen, heard, and felt in another city in an ambient way.





In comparison to almost every other booth at SaloneSatellite, Passage for Peace might have been the most abstract. What was the reaction in Milan?

I was well aware that we would stand out. It is, after all, a furniture fair - chairs and tables are the norm. However, I've always felt that the Salone del Mobile represents more than furniture. I feel that it is about the imagination and power of design. I went to school in Milan (Domus Academy) in 2002 and when I first experienced the Salone, I was tremendously inspired. Seven years later, it was my first return trip, and I wanted to bring the stretch of my imagination - something on the brink - but something that we can still imagine being real.

The response to our piece was amazing, we had people congratulate us, thank us, hug us, a few people applauded us - literally, a man stopped in his tracks and started clapping and yelling, "Bravo!" As a designer, it was the most gratifying experience to see people react emotionally to my work. The greatest compliment was that the majority of visitors to our booth asked us when and where it would be constructed so they could experience it in scale - they all believed that it was already in the works!

There was the handful of skeptics that looked at us quizzically and questioned our motives, it being unfathomable to them that someone would be showing something not for sale. All taken in stride, I wouldn't say that there isn't any monetary motive, there is - we want to find sponsors to make the project a reality!





+ passageforpeace.org
+ knoend.com
+ pocobor.com