Ellinikon Athens: NO_THING On Board

The NO_THING technology developed by Milla & Partner revives bygone times in Athens. The eventful history of the airport and the revitalization of the site as a public space are shown in a new exhibition directly on the location. NO_THING has previously been applied in a wide variety of projects – now, here too, visitors are drawn into a digital world via an analog control element.

It was one of the largest airports of its time and is now being given a new purpose. From 1938, Ellinikon was the international commercial airport of the Greek capital. In 2001, it was replaced by the Athens-Eleftherios Venizelos Airport and closed. Now, the site, which has been lying fallow since, is being transformed into a space that serves tourists and locals alike. Green spaces and recreational facilities are being built as a local recreation area; apartments and office spaces are planned to expand the metropolis. To present the plans and future possible uses to interested residents, tourists and investors, an exhibition for the project developer LAMDA DEVELOPMENT S.A was designed by the internationally acclaimed creative agency Media.Monks. The exhibition reproduces not only the future of the site, but also its history in analog and digital images. To this end, Milla & Partner developed two NO_THING stations on behalf of Media.Monks.

NO_THING - the name says it all. This technology is not bound to a specific device or object. Everything and anything can become a control element. It premiered in the German Pavilion at the EXPO in Milan, where visitors used a piece of cardboard as control unit or an umbrella as monitor. Its fascination arises from the complete absence of any perception of technology. Images, films or interactive information appear as projection on the chosen object or as a spatial media installation.

At two stations in Athens, up to five visitors at a time can obtain information about different topics on their Boarding Passes: historical pictures from bygone eras bring the beginnings of passenger air traffic back to life, the flora and fauna that now inhabit the site become visible, as well as future visions for Ellinikon.

The position of the spatial marker points on the analog control element – in this case the Boarding Pass – are detected and located by an infrared camera on the ceiling (3D tracking). The software developed specifically for this purpose can interpret several markers simultaneously and consequently calculates the position of the projection. Thanks to projection mapping, several Boarding Passes can be precisely covered by same projector.

NO_THING can also be a giveaway, at least part of the interactive tool can be taken home: simple brochures, catalogs or postcards become interactive projection surfaces that visitors can keep as souvenirs after their tour. This technology has already been implemented as SeedBoard at the EXPO in Milan – with three million users in six months – as well as permanently and in a further developed form at Baykomm, Bayer's brand world in Leverkusen, and at the Changi Experience Studio in Singapore.

The magnitude of The Ellinikon is best discovered with a visit to the interactive, multi-sensory exhibition, showcasing Greece’s most ambitious and sustainable urban development project to date. More information: Experience Centre and The Ellinikon.