El Gobo (“the hunchback”), a sculpture in Venice’s Rialto market, is sometimes called “the guardian of memories“. Satirical notes were attached to it, and from it were proclaimed official notices.
The mobile phone app elgobo allows people, wishing to auction personal memorabilia, to attach personal stories to them. The auctioneer stands on the sculpture to conduct the auction, and buyers bid in real time, either in person or remotely via the app. This app allows remote bidders to participate in the urgency and suspense of the physical auction.
People often hold on to old things for the simple reason of holding on to our past, to memorie. Even though they are kept in storage, having them reassures us that we haven’t lost our stories, our lives, ourselves. Through time, the stories of things we have once used become attached to them. The ordinary transcends into the deeply valuable and meaningful.
The purpose of this application is to highlight the emotional value of objects, as opposed to their material value, and to get people to act together to revive memories left behind by time.
Personal contribute
I developed the graphics design for some screen. I took care of final details of the code, in particular the inclusion of audio on iProcessing and possible solutions to make the “bidding” using the accelerometer. I also helped in shooting of videos.
Selected as semifinalist in the international competition Adobe
Design Archievement Awards 2011 in the Mobile category.
Iuav | Interaction design lab 1, in collaboration with Luca Murgia and Lama Wehbe | 2010
more info at www.interaction-venice.com