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Final issues of FOMO released as project prepares to visit Venice

Venice Architecture Biennale 2014: Space Caviar's algorithmic publishing project will be travelling to Venice for the architecture biennale, with the final issues from Milan design week now available to download – including contributions from Formafantasma and Martino Gamper (+ slideshow + download).

Fear of Missing Out publishing algorithm in Milan

Joseph Grima's design research collaborative Space Caviar created a new realtime publishing algorithm, called Fear of Missing Out (FOMO), which combines text produced using voice recognition technology with text and images posted on social platforms like Instagram and Twitter.

Fear of Missing Out publishing algorithm in Milan
The FOMObile in transport mode

The software debuted in Milan last week with a series of talks called On the Fly providing the core content for the resulting publications, which were printed instantly from a travelling publishing unit known as the FOMObile and based on an Open Structures modular system designed by Thomas Lommee.

Fear of Missing Out publishing algorithm in Milan
The FOMO production line

Participants in the talks, which took place in Nike's Aero-static dome at Palazzo Clerici, included Martino Gamper, Clemens Weisshaar, Atelier Bow Wow, Bart Hess and Formafantasma. Members of the public from all over the world were also invited to take part by using the #OnTheFlyMilan hashtag on social media networks.

Fear of Missing Out publishing algorithm in Milan
Some of the printed FOMO publications in Milan

"The idea behind FOMO is to explore the potential of event metadata as source material for a performative publishing process, but the print component is important - the whole thing made a lot more sense when we bound it all together into a single volume at the end on the FOMO sewing machine," said Grima.

Fear of Missing Out publishing algorithm in Milan
The FOMO publications were saddle stitched using sewing machines

The FOMObile will be in residence in Venice in early September and may also make an appearance during the opening weekend in early June.

Fear of Missing Out publishing algorithm in Milan
Issues of FOMO were handed at Palazzo Clerici

"From a Dadaist perspective I think the Milan experiment went very well - almost everything about it was unexpected, such as how moments of intensity and moments of inactivity are revealed in the blanks and overlaps," said Grima.

Fear of Missing Out publishing algorithm in Milan
The FOMObile printer

"What we'd like to do next is explore the other end of the spectrum, perhaps creating something that is indistinguishable from a conventional publication, for example working with the social media and physical interactions between people on a weekday in one of the piazzas of Genoa," he said.

Fear of Missing Out publishing algorithm in Milan
FOMO publications were bound with a sewing machine

The project was inspired by a comment from futurist and writer Bruce Sterling, who said that "events were the new magazines". Sterling was among the visitors to the project during Milan design week.

Fear of Missing Out publishing algorithm in Milan
Once bound, the publications were distributed for free

Download issues nine to 12 of FOMO from Milan:

» Formafantasma - download here
» Brent Dzekciorius - download here
» Anna Meroni - download here
» Martino Gamper and Arthur Huang - download here

Fear of Missing Out publishing algorithm in Milan
Joseph Grima hosting the first evening of the On the Fly talks

Download issues four to eight of FOMO here.
Download issues one to three of FOMO here.