If you’re in one of the last two cars on the L train between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. this week you can enter a live chat room/dating site and browse content from local authors and artists.
Welcome to the Notwork.
Conceived by digital artists and consultants WeMakeCoolSh.it, the Notwork is the opposite of the Internet. It is a closed network, or intranet, available only to morning “L” train riders in the last two subway cars.
The project was self-funded and cost $15,000.
The equipment—a battery, an inverter, a wireless router, and a tiny computer—is carried in green reusable bags. The result is a mobile WiFi hotspot.
“I was riding the L train and thinking how I'd really like to have an Internet connection,” said Matt McGregor-Mento, one of the creators, about the inspiration behind the Notwork. Instead of technology leading to isolation, this project shows that “technology can also bring people together.”
McGregor-Mento regaled stories from the new intranet; one girl walked back up a flight of stairs to tell him “this is the coolest thing ever”; two guys chatting on the Notwork realized they were sitting next to each other, and began such an interesting conversation that one missed his stop; a woman reading a poem passed it to her neighbor, which prompted a discussion.
“Give people a common experience, give them something to get excited about,” said McGregor-Mento, who cited “cultural behavior” for why subway riders don’t often interact. “You don’t think of the subway where you actively engage and converse with strangers.”
Of course, that was before the Notwork.
Future plans are being discussed, though there is nothing concrete. Ideas include arming stores with the technology for a network that could display sales and catalogs with no distractions.
Check out a behind the scenes video here http://wemakecoolsh.it/2310091
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