Ghost Pole Propagator is a poetic surveillance system and interactive installation that captures and replays the ‘skeletons’ of passersby in its environment, creating a layered and dynamic tapestry that reflects the history and activity of a locale. Presenting a universal communication of presence, attitude and gesture, the stick figures this artwork generates are compact and expressive means of representing the human form. The format of the system’s phantom transcriptions is variable; as presented here, the project serves as a kind of ‘interpretive monitoring station’ for nearby pedestrian traffic.

Stick figures are an extremely compact yet exceptionally expressive means of representing the human form. The graphic simplicity of such figures belies their emotional force. By eliminating unnecessary details and reducing visual elements to their absolute essence, stick figures accomplish a powerful, immediately intelligible and possibly universal communication of human presence, attitude and gesture.