Largepublicscreenshavenowbecomeaubiquitouspartofthecontemporarycityscape.Farfrombeingsimplyoversizedtelevisions,themediaexpertscontributingtoAmbientScreensandTransnationalPublicSpacesputforwardastrongcasethatsuchscreenscouldserveasimportantsitesforculturalexchange.
Advancesindigitaltechnologyspellthepossibilitiesofconductingmobilemodesofinteractionacrossnationalboundaries,andintheprocessexposetheparticipantstonovelsensoryexperiences,givingrisetoanewformofpublicculture.Understandingthisphenomenoncallsforareconceptualizationof“publicspace”and“ambience,”aswellasconnectingthetwoconceptswitheachother.Thispioneeringstudyoftheimpactofmediaplatformsonurbanculturallifepresentsatheoreticalanalysisandahistoryofscreens,followedbydiscussionsofsite-specificurbanscreenpracticesonfivecontinents.Thereisalsoasubstantialexaminationoftheworld’sfirstreal-timecross-culturalexchangeviathenetworkingoflargepublicscreenslocatedinMelbourneandSeoul.
