Sunday, January 25, 2009













Torolab's
Region of the Transborder Trousers was an interactive map that documented the physical movement of a handful of individuals over the span of five days. The participants wore clothing that was designed by Torolab who implanted GPS transmitters to record the members movement as they crossed the border between San Diego and Tijuana. The information taken from the transmitters along with records of fuel consumption were then placed in a computer program which visualized the movement in an animated map with the participants appearing as tiny dots. Time was speed up and the five day track was shown in an eight minute loop. In an aesthetically pleasing fashion Torolab was not only able to create a piece of fine art but was also able highlight a poignant social political issue. This piece is another way of approaching a problem or another way to visualize movement and human interaction in space. It uses science, technology and the gathering of information to create something that is politically and culturally sensitive. It is aslo a testament to the infinite potential of art as not only something that is aesthtically pleasing but something that is has a purpose and a clear function. The line between science and art is a very fine line and one that is evoporating and begining to overlap primarily due to technolgoical advance and increased capibility to visualize and conceptualize scientific data in abstract visual form.

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