Back in the mid-1400s, Johannes Gutenberg must’ve been feeling pretty smug. The German may not have lived to see his invention spread further than the Holy Roman Empire, but surely he must have realised the impact his moveable type printing press would have on the world. Fast forward a few centuries, and by the 21st – the way we communicate has been completely revolutionised once more; the overwhelming pace of information now irreversible.
“By attempting to consume ever more, we end up understanding less” pensively state the designers behind Out of Print – a throughly entertaining, immersive installation that took place during last week’s London Design Festival. Exploring our interaction with, and consumption of, data, information and news sources; Out of Print put the height of technology toe to toe with Gutenberg’s 15th century breakthrough, with quite brilliant results.
Selecting a series of news sources – from NME to The Sun – on an iPad, users could play with a selection of randomly generated headlines, choosing to send their final caption to the Out of Print team’s moveable type workstation; the results to be printed right before your eyes. Asides from its classic aesthetic, and clever clogs technology – the underlying message of modern culture overloading on information is fascinating, thought-provoking, and – to be frank – a little worrying… nonetheless, this was a project more than worth of your time. Here’s hoping it’s back soon.
Photography © We Heart
