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The Navigational Blocks are a tangible computing interface that was designed to provide the occupants of Seattle's Pioneer Square with a means to explore the history of the place. The interface is composed of four individual blocks that represent portions of the history of Pioneer Square: who (the people), what (the events), where (the locations), and when (1850's-1890's). As you pick up and rotate the blocks, you find that each face represents a subdivision of its topic. (ie - The six sides of the who block represent the founding fathers, the women, the merchants, the miners, the native americans, and all of the people associated with the history). By placing either a single block or multiple blocks into the "active space", the information related to the sides of the blocks that are facing up are called as a query from a virtual gallery of information. The physical blocks therefore manipulate a virtual environment that in turn teaches you about the physical place of Pioneer Square.
last updated 8.25.2006 by Mark D Gross