Bio Mapping - Christian Nold


Crowd Compiler

Christian Nold
2004 - 05

Computer software which produces an image of the temporal crowd.

Ever since the very first photograph of a crowd was taken in 1848, these images have been controversial for what they purported to show and what they did not show.
Even today, most representations of the crowd aim to rationalise and quantify the crowd rather than show its curious dynamics of both density and fluidity. The Crowd Compiler software tries to present the ‘crowd in time’ rather than a static snapshot.

A fixed camera takes photographs at regular intervals which are then sequentially processed by the software.
Using a simple algorithm all the visual changes between the frames are composited and made simultaneously visible.
The resulting images widen our senses to this normally invisible ‘temporal crowd’ which occupies public space.

Is this simply a special effect?

No, the images carry visual data about the effect of architecture and urban design on group behaviour. Of equal importance is the fact that the images are created by a process that is legible. The political and technical logic of the representation becomes visible in the image itself rather than being hidden away.

Legibility = Visual data
+ Social Context
+ Technical Transparency

The Crowd Compiler software operates by comparing each individual pixel between the photographic frame and the back-ground image. If the colour has changed a significant amount, the new pixel is copied to the background. The process continues until all the photographs have been processed.

Download Crowd Compiler for Mac OSX 3.1MB (dmg file)

Download Crowd Compiler for PC 2.1MB (Self Extracting Executable)

Screenshot (100kb)

PDF leaflet (200kb)

Bio Mapping - Christian Nold

Kennington Common, 1848 - W. E. Kilburn, 'The Great Chartist Meeting, 10 April 1848', daguerreotype, The Royal Collection (c) 2006 HM Queen Elizabeth II

Bio Mapping - Christian Nold

Kennington Park, 2005 - photomontage created by Crowd Compiler

Bio Mapping - Christian Nold

Detail of Crowd Compiler photomontage

Bio Mapping - Christian Nold

Gallery installation shot of Crowd Compiler at the Zentrum für Kunst und Medientechnologie (2 aluminium mounted photographs, computer animation and text panel)

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Last Updated 21.06.08
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I finally took the time to rework an old project, the Rio - Point of Sale poster! Take a look :
Rio - Point of Sale

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The Brentford Biopsy Map is complete. Check out the 10 meter map! This week I am heading to Paris for a lecture about the East Paris Emotion Map. Next week I will be in Copenhagen for the Metropolis Conference

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Off to Turin to plan the Complexity Maps summer school for the World Design Capital

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I am in Paris for workshops part of my new solo show at Arslonga Gallery and part of Mal aux Pixel festival

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Next week sees the launch of my major solo show, the Brentford Biopsy at Watermans in London. Come to workshops and look at the exhibition evolve over the next few months!
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Next week I will be in Holland for workshops at Delft University and then a keynote at Mobile City in Rotterdam. On the 3rd March I will giving a lecture at MIT Medialab come along!

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I will be in NY in Feb giving a lecture with Adam Greenfield, J. Meejin Young and Stamen at the New Museum. Come along!

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In Popular Terms has won the Eyebeam Eco Visulisation Challange and is showing at Eyebeam in NY.

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The printed San Francisco Emotion Map is now available!

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Tonight is the physical and online launch of my new project In Popular Terms at the Berkeley Art Museum. Check it out!

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Hello I would love to get feedback from people about what they think about my projects. Please help by filling out this online form. Thanks so much !!!

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Back in London trying to get over the jetlag. Preparing for the last Stockport workshop.

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I am in Tokyo speaking and running a workshop at the Dislocate 07 conference. Come and join us if you are around.

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Some of my maps are currently showing in Santa Monica in the Zoom exhibition.

The Stockport Emotion Map will be starting next week. Have a look!

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I have made a diagram to try and clarify my own position in this world. Have a look (PDF)

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Link to press coverage about my work.

Back in London and working on the SciArt commission as well as preparing a mapping project for Stockport and Tokyo.

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I am in Holland setting up the Cultuur exhibition. I also just uploaded a brand new project Sensory Deprivation ! If you want to setup workshops or make maps get in touch.

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France for the Festival Bandits-Mages in Bourges in France to show the RFID Map / Affect Browser. At the end of May I am setting up an exhibition of all my maps for the the Cultuur 2.0 event in Amsterdam.

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I am in San Francisco for a residency at SOEX setting up the San Francisco Emotion Map. The Mapping Fulham project is also currently continuing until June. Also my work is currently showing in Turku, Finlnd at the Digittaly Yours exhibition. In May there are shows in Bourges, Fracnce and Amsterdam coming up.