ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the ways in which the networking of large public screens can serve as a space for transnational exchange, extending the frontiers of aesthetic and public participation. The classical polis was divided between the oikos, the privacy of the home; the agora, the commercial zone of exchange and a domain for speculative public/private interactions; and the ekklesia, in which the rules of governance and social organization were established. As contemporary cities become increasingly media dense environments, it is important to reexamine the understanding of public space and the modes available for transnational exchange. The delimitations of spatial and social relations in urban contexts are now complemented by the new forms of agency enabled by media infrastructure. Although the local context of public space remains important, it increasingly operates as an open locality crossed by new speeds and scales of communication and action.
