Mall-E draws the trajectory of nomads’ mobile houses and their sporadic messages on the floors or wall of Futroit Mall. Futroit Mall is not a place for shopping anymore. Retail shops are gone. The emerging abandoned spaces are now ready to exhibit art work. The Mall-E system tracks the location of the nomads’ mobile houses. When a change is detected, Mall-E draws the movement with a unique pattern. The visual aesthetics of Mall-E’s drawing borrows from petroglyphs while also appropriating symbols such as brand logos and cartoon characters of the post-industrial age. The interior of the future-indoor-mall is inscribed with the data obtained from nomads, which depicts a history of their life. Thanks to the Mall-E, the abandoned shopping malls will function similarly to the ancient caves on which primitive men inscribed their lives.

For more detailed design concept, research and prototypes, please visit the project website.

Advised by prof. Carl DiSalvo (LCC6650D Project Studio, Fall 2009)