Library boasts costly display

By Joel M. Ede | November 6, 2009

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Matt Weir / The Collegian

Walking through the Peace Garden at California State University, Fresno, students may notice a large, red figure slowly weaving a traditional Native American basket on the north side of the Henry Madden Library.

Unveiled in April of this year, the 700-square-foot Mediamesh curtain the image is displayed on is touted as being one of the most innovative visual technologies on the market and has been featured at the Piazza Duomo in Milan, Italy and is becoming a hot item for professional sports venues in the United States.

At a cost of $428,000, the screen is part of the library’s tribute to the Native American heritage present in Central California. It was purchased using part of Table Mountain Rancheria’s $10 million donation to the Madden Library project.

The woman on the media curtain, Lois Connor, is one of the few people left in the world that knows the process of traditional Native American basket weaving. The video of her weaving will take a full year to view.

During walk-throughs of the library in late 2008 and early 2009, Collegian staff reported being told that the Mediamesh would be controlled by Table Mountain Rancheria for the first year and then revert back to university control.

However, vice president of administration and chief financial officer, Cynthia Teniente-Matson says that this is not the case.

Contrary to speculation, Matson explained that the screen and the content displayed on it are in no way influenced by Table Mountain Rancheria, despite the naming rights offered to them in lieu of their generous donation.

Many students wonder at the screen and what other uses it may have for the university.

“It is not a digital movie screen,” Matson said. “It wasn’t meant as an entertainment venue. It wouldn’t show at that level and it wasn’t designed at that level. It’s not [possible] on this type of technology.”

However, A2aMEDIA, the manufacturer of Mediamesh, promotes the use of their product as a means of generating ad revenue on their Web site, especially in the form of video advertisements.

On May 27, 2009, American Airlines Arena, home of the Miami Heat, unveiled a 3,400-square-foot Mediamesh curtain on an outside façade facing a busy intersection. The display is almost completely devoted to advertiser branding and the basketball team’s promotion. Its estimated cost is upward of $700,000.

Matson said that the main reason for integrating the visualization onto Fresno State’s library is architectural rather than for advertising or entertainment purposes. Matson says that the demonstration “is intended to lure you in.”

As far as seeing anything else on the digital curtain in the near future, the answer is no.

“We [will] replay [the basket weaving documentary],” Matson explained, “Our plan is to have it turned off in the summer and replay it in the fall.”

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Comments

5 Responses to “Library boasts costly display”

    GM:
    November 6th, 2009 (2 weeks ago) 10:30 am

    What about the fact that the thing is virtually invisible during the day?

    interesting…..:
    November 6th, 2009 (2 weeks ago) 10:36 am

    While I understand the importance of preserving a tradition, this is probably the lamest and most boring use of money on campus.

    junior:
    November 6th, 2009 (2 weeks ago) 2:57 pm

    You think they could have put a stock ticker or news bulletin on that thing. Something practical.

    yo junior:
    November 7th, 2009 (2 weeks ago) 12:45 pm

    something practical? she’s making a basket. dude, think about it — what’s more practical than a basket?

    a basket is a thing to put other things in. when you have a lot of things, what do you generally use to keep all those things together? yeah man, a basket. or something basket-like

    can you imagine strawberries apart from baskets? where would you put them, if not in some kind of basket-y contraption? on shelves? this is pretty much true for all produce

    let me ask you another question: how useful is a stock ticker when the stock market crashes? historically, when this has happened, people have been less interested in that information than they have been in rounding up their valuables and hiding them. the basket’s role in this process is pretty much indispensable. also bags, but again, what are bags really but jumbo-size baskets?

    get with it dude. this lady has some of the most important knowledge you can have (how to make a basket from things that were not previously a basket) and this school is essentially offering that information to spectators FOR FREE. and it only takes a year to learn

    think about how much money the csu system could save if they cut all basket-weaving courses and instructors.

    so stop complaining. we have a good thing here. cutting edge really

    nameless:
    November 7th, 2009 (2 weeks ago) 1:41 pm

    Lol at the above comment.