As our social circle spreads across a wider geographic area, we look for ways to share experiences. Technology has reconnected us to some extent, but the interfaces are not as simple as handling physical media. My great aunt Olga loves writing letters and shuffling through photos. I, on the other hand, write emails and share photos on Flickr, and as a result, we don’t communicate nearly as much as we’d like.

Tableau is an refinished heirloom nightstand that stores and retrieves memories using a Twitter account. It acts as a bridge between users of physical and digital media, taking the best parts of both. The nightstand quietly drops photos it sees on its Twitter feed into its drawer, for the owner to discover. Images of things placed in the drawer are posted to its account as well.

Tableau is an anti-computer experience. The nightstand drawer becomes a natural interface to a complex computing task, which now fits into the flow of life.

johnkestner.com/tableau

(music: "Two Steps" by my buddy Pete Grosso)