A turbulence.org commission, getawayexperiment.net proposes a dialogue between the virtual and physical processes of sign and site design and perception. Stern and Neustetter have transformed several information-based web pages into collaboratively constructed communication sites. Initially, they commissioned local sign-makers in Johannesburg, South Africa to “re-mix” five websites (Fox News, Google Images, joburg.org.za, Solidarity and Turbulence) by painting stylized versions of each image on their main pages. The hand-painted signs were then scanned, prepared for the web, and uploaded to the turbulence server for use.

Each of the five sites can now be seen in three ways: 1) the original site (on its original server); 2) the “getaway” site in edit mode; and 3) the “getaway” re-mix. In edit mode, participants from anywhere in the world can click on any image and upload their own replacement paintings, drawings or photos. In the re-mix pages, each individual image on the page is randomly pulled from the site’s database of previously uploaded material, thereby transforming the “getaways” into dynamic collages that signify something completely new.

launch site