Proposed GPS sketch with source photographs used to map the final coordinates.

A PORTRAIT OF RUDY GIULIANI
Performed September 20, 2009
Prospect Park, Brooklyn, New York

For the Conflux 2009 festival, we created a large-scale drawing of Rudy Giuliani, by walking GPS coordinates in Prospect Park and through a verbal dialogue in Twitter updates. Festival attendees walked the path with us, was the drawing was built segment by segment from the GPS coordinates.

We imagine ourselves as virtual flâneurs, exploring cities 140 characters at a time and via low-resolution images. Each morning we follow strangers through their Twitter updates, becoming intimately involved in their banal daily errands. With this project, we translate this virtual information to physical form by using GPS software to transfer our movements into a drawing in an urban space.

Rudy Giuliani was selected as a subject for his conflict with the nearby Brooklyn Museum of Art over Chris Ofili's paintings in the "Sensation" exhibition (1999). In referencing this event, we hope to continue the dialogue of the role of art in public life and make visible Giuliani's unseen presence in the history of the performance site.

PROCESS

The drawing was realized by tracking our movements while walking with a small group of festival participants. We started on one side of Prospect Park and used GPS software to track our position in relation to the planned drawing. The route formed a contour drawing and returned us to our starting position around 30 minutes later.

The physical space of this urban park necessitated small variations in our planned route. In walking the drawing, we had to navigate through a busy public park, zipping around children playing frisbee, returning stray soccer balls, circumventing sunbathers, and avoiding touch football players. Physical barriers included patches of trees, small hills, and park infrastructure such as snow fences, water fountains, and park benches.

FINAL DRAWING

GPS COORDINATES
You are invited to download our GPX file with mapped coordinates to complete the drawing on your own. Use a handheld GPS unit or SmartPhone to direct you on your walk.

Direct URL (for entering into Trails or other app):
http://www.telepathicwitness.com/finalwalk.gpx

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Performance realized for ConfluxCity 2009
Our mapping process utilizes both Google Maps and Google Earth to determine GPS coordinates
While walking, we utilized the Trails iPhone application as a guide
GPS tracking powered by InstaMapper.com

A Portrait of Rudy Giuliani, 2009
Interactive GPS Performance, Dimensions Variable