Followers of the Playable City events may have heard about train station staircases turned into giant pianos, or even talking lamp posts! But imagine walking alone under street light, only to be confronted by the shadow of the person who walked there before you! That’s what Playable City award winners Jonathan Chomko and Matthew Rosier have designed as an interactive ‘Shadowing’ installation, and it’s proving a big hit for Bristol residents.
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They work by fitting lamp posts with special devices that record the shadows that pass underneath them, they are then played back the next time the lamp post senses someone else underneath.
Already, there’s been a hugely positive response from local residents who’ve come along to the shadow installation to see what it’s all about or simply discovered one en route in the city:
These ‘shadowing’ lamp posts from @PlayableCity will soon be all over Bristol! https://t.co/iLz8GGDAji
— Dan Izzard (@SimpleLampoon) September 12, 2014
Yes @PlayableCity! Earlier in Montpelier, 6 strangers & 1 dog played your #shadowing. Thank you! Here’s a clip: http://t.co/r8JRWVwDwV — Mrs Bridges (@ClaireRaikes) September 9, 2014
Came across #shadowing last night at Easton underpass- danced with a South American woman and was ranted at by a bloke about surveillance
— Helen Manchester (@Helenmanchester) September 18, 2014
For ridiculously cool playable thing…see attached. “@clarered: #shadowing#playablecityhttp://t.co/s6gryafLo7” — Jonathan Harper (@jojoharper) September 13, 2014
Walked through my first #shadowing spot last night in #Bristol….See where you can find one for yourself pic.twitter.com/TuMEOYVdqg — Domini McMunn (@thesweetievan) September 19, 2014
Shadowing streetlights have been placed in 7 locations all over Bristol, with the most recent lights around the Montpelier and Lower Ashley Road area. You can see the rough area in which the streetlights have been placed with this handy shadowing map, but they are designed to be discovered, so the precise locations aren’t published online.
They’ll be here until the 31st October 2014 though so there’s still plenty of time to go for an explore and see if you can find one yourself!
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