TaxiLink Project is an interactive installation which enables users to experience an authentic distant taxi ride.
TaxiLink Project creates a link between a taxi driving in Jerusalem and participants from a distant location abroad.
Sitting in the static TaxiLink booth, the passengers join a live tour in and around the old city of Jerusalem, experiencing a personal interaction with a real-life taxi driver. Through live video and audio transmitting from the driving cab , the passenger can now experience a genuine back seat ride of Jerusalem and its breath taking surroundings.
Jerusalem reflects endless polar diversities. Existing 3000 years, the holy city manages to encapsulate essences of religions, cultures and histories, woven together in the most delicate way.Three major monotheistic faiths coexist in this site. Whatever your credence, it’s hard not to be swept up in the emotional tide that pulsates through these ancient streets.
TaxiLink is expected to have an impact not only on visitors of the ARS Electronica Festival but to create a daily “buzz” throughout the streets of Jerusalem, as locals interact with the taxi.
TaxiLink is an urban virtual tour, offering a brief yet meaningful experience of Jerusalem. The intensity of this encounter is two-fold, since the passenger sees the Holy City once through his eyes and again, as seen through the eyes of his intrepid local guide. By recording a personal journey, absorbing, gazing, collecting glimpses along the way, one will end up with an extraordinary virtual experience.
The user chooses his destination, starting the trip at the point where the previous one ended.
It is the road that we focus on rather than a set destination.
The taxi is a private hub that travels through public spaces, influenced by the pace of the city. It provides a unique communication experience of a temporal intimacy.