Never mind today's weather forecast. What were conditions like yesterday? A 16-foot sculpture now on display in London's Hoxton Square broadcasts the temperatures from the day before.
Not necessarily useful information when deciding whether to pack an umbrella. Instead, "The Weather Yesterday" celebrates "the weather as a predominant topic of discussion in British culture while offering a spin on the urgency with which we are using our mobile devices, forecasting, and interactive technology," says Troika, the London design studio that created the piece.
The playful installation, on exhibit through September 9, employs LEDs, aluminum, and custom electronics to display classic climate icons like sun, clouds, and rain along with shifting numerical temperatures that reflect conditions exactly as they were at the same time at any given moment the previous day.
Data updates automatically using custom-made software and a wireless connection.
Commissioned by the Royal Institute of British Architects for the London Festival of Architecture, The Weather Yesterday caught my eye because it really, really needs to make its next stop here in weather-obsessed San Francisco.
During summer at least, we S.F. residents often leave the house in ski hats and scarves only to wish a few hours later we'd worn shorts and a tank top. And like the Brits, we like to talk about our unpredictable plight. A lot. You know, "The coldest winter" and all...
(Via designboom)