„ZeitRaum“ (‘TimeSpace’) is the name of the art installation designed by Ars Electronica Futurelab for Vienna Airport’s new terminal. It generates real-time interpretations of incoming and outgoing flights. Its massive display screens frame the airport’s security checkpoints. When a passenger approaches a screen, a virtual snowstorm of letters is triggered and these trickle to the bottom of the screen. Here, the letters join together to form texts that represent the topography of a landscape in a constant process of transformation as its progress is determined by the actual status of the airport’s air traffic: starts generate mountains and landings are represented by valleys.

The fonts used for the displays are Soho Gothic and Futura, here used as a means of expression that is unlike anything to which we are normally accustomed.

A fascinating video film of the installation is provided on the Ars Electronica Futurelab website: http://www.aec.at/zeitraum/textscapes.html