As part of an interdisciplinary class at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign called Mobile Mapping for Everyday Spaces, a group of students from Art and Design, Computer Science, and Music, have developed a walking experience based on a music composer/performer relationship. The walker/performer is given a score, written by a composer, which will create a unique walking experience in a familiar space.

While performing the piece, the walker documents their experience with a GPS device and a digital camera as noted in the score. The collected data is sent to a website and is automatically processed into a digital visualization of their performance. The visualization functions as a unique representation of the act of walking and a way to share the performance with others.

The visual documentation functions as both a representation of the act of walking and a way to share the performance with others.

When doing a Walking Score, the composer is challenged with the task of creating compositions, site specific or not, that will generate both an interesting experience for the walker/performer and a compelling visualization. The performer is challenged with the task of performing the piece as well as they possibly can.

Similar to music, composing and performing a walking score takes varying amounts of skill and practice, depending on the composition. For the novice, attempts at both writing and performing different scores can be as fun and rewarding as the most flawless performances by the most experienced walking performers.

Walking Score was developed by:

Tony Bergstrom, Computer Science
Brian Collier, Art & Design
Mike Fleming, Art & Design
John Ritz, Music