Local Loop, a 3D user and communication interface. An interface understanding the events on a computer screen as an interactive film. The screen has become a window into an electronic world, a social space in which people would like to experience themselves. This experience includes the communication with others, having influence on the electronic world, having an individual viewpoint and being able to design the social space. Because our surrounding real enviroment is three dimensional, it can be assumed that a space oriented user interface allows a natural and intuitive work.

The Local Loop is a system with a user interface for the PC and UNIX which understands the screen as a window into a three dimensional world which the following attributes: several hundred users can access the world by modem and Internet, the user has an individual camera view into the world, the user has an individual representation in the world, the user can design the world by bringing in objects and manipulating them, multimedia communication is possible in realtime and delayed with objects, using text, video, music, drawing and speech.

The system has been employed for an interactive TV show (Service Area a.i. at Ars Electronica, June 1994), forming the communication network for viewers. Poets act as mediators between the network and the TV viewer by living in the network, translating their experience into the language of TV and moderating a realtime open discussion between viewers.

Local-Loop is a two years project. It is constantly online, allowing immediate feedback from users. The goal of the project is to create a new user interface, to help the easy use of telecommunication services and to create and observe an electronic culture.