One of the lab's main research/creation efforts, Next Text, lies in the domain of visual language, text and typography, with a core interest in how the deep structure of digital media can be used to create innovative forms of expression. Another of the lab's project, Aboriginal Territories in Cyberspace, looks at how game modding and desktop virtual reality can be used to interpret very old stories into a modern context. Obx members' creative work and writing about new media have been presented at conferences, festivals and exhibitions internationally. Lab members' work has been supported by Canadian Heritage, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Fonds québécois de la recherche sur la société et la culture, Hexagram, Arts Alliance, Canada Council for the Arts and the English Arts Council. Jason Lewis is Director of the lab, Maroussia Lévesque is the Research coordinator, and Lucie Bélanger (Cityspeak) and Elie Zananiri (Citywide) are Research Associates.


Cityspeak is ephemeral graffiti, an exploration into using private modes of communication to drive transient public displays of commentary about a particular location. Participants use their SMS- and web-enabled cellphones or wireless PDAs to send text to a common server. The text is processed using the NextText text visualization software. NextText references real-time data from the location to specify the visual behaviors of the text. The resulting stream of text is layered back onto the location in the form of large-scale projections. Participants can use the display to leave commentary, tell stories, conduct conversations or simply to play with the visual characteristics of text.

Cityspeak is an example p2P (private-to-public) communication which allows participants to use communication technologies we tend to think of as private--cell phones and Personal Digital Assistants--to create public displays. It has been installed 15 times up to this date.


Citywide provides a way for geographically-based micro-communities to maintain communication with one another. The application makes use of the wireless hotspots provided by groups such as Montreal's Île Sans Fil (put link www.ilesansfil.org on "Ile Sans Fil") to create a chat-space that is local to each particular hotspot. Use it to converse with other visitors, shout out to the cute guy in the corner, post announcements, or explore the history of previously posted messages.

Citywide is currently active at 16 hotspots and will be extended to more locations so users can also observe the chats at other hotspots, or the text traffic across the entire, City-wide network. Although they cannot interact with the non-local activity, they can get a sense of what is happening in other parts of town or what the city, as a whole, is talking about. Driven by interests in dynamic texts and visualizing social networks, the project ties the geographical determinism of urban living together with the invisible linkages created by disembodied virtual networks.

Research Director:
Jason Lewis
Obx Labs / Concordia University

Conceptual Director:
Maroussia Lévesque
Obx Labs

Cityspeak Lead Developer:
Lucie Bélanger
Obx Labs

Citywide Lead Developer:
Elie Zananiri
Obx Labs

Lead Designers:
Lysanne Bellemare
Hugues Bruyère
Raed Mousa
Obx Labs