It’s easy to go about your day though streets and underpasses in big built up cities, contemplating little about your surroundings. Yet this autumn, LAX‘s Urbananimals project – the winner’s of Watershed’s Playable Cities 2015 competition – has been adding more than just a bit of flair to Bristol’s urban neighbourhoods.
Since mid-September, a digital kangaroo, rabbit and even a friendly beetle have been just three of the eight Urbanimals hopping, jumping and crawling out of Bristol’s brickwork to surprise and delight its residents and challenge them to think differently about their environment.
Deliberately designed to take people by surprise, these cheeky virtual creatures have been setup in unexpected places and have been receiving a great response on social media channels from those lucky enough to have their day brightened by one.
There’s a beetle eager to play in Bedminster, can you find it? #Urbanimals @PlayableCity pic.twitter.com/8bdzdecQPm
— Rachael Burton (@burton_rachael) September 17, 2015
Now, I did have a lot oflast night but I got to play along with a Kangaroo @PlayableCity @wshed only in Bristol pic.twitter.com/BLcsBh0wWh
— Joe O’ Brien (@thisisjoeob) September 23, 2015
In the last few weeks since the creatures have been released, there has also been plenty of others taking to Twitter for tips on where they can skip with a kangaroo or chase a bunny rabbit.
Have you spotted any of these yet whilst out and about in #bristol? We haven’t! Give us some #clues? #liveyoung http://t.co/5UG6RDeG9G — BoConcept Bristol (@BocoBristol) September 23, 2015
Catch them all!
Getting these little creatures to behave has been a little trickier than their designers and creators had hoped though, with a couple of technical problems along the way.
As Watershed’s blog ‘Urbanimals come in two by two’ explains: “It’s a bit like designing and coding eight separate computer games” – an impressive feat indeed.
Luckily, the talented design team has now managed to release an amazing 5 creatures across the city so far with the final 3 to follow shortly.
And, in case you were wondering, there’s now an Urbanimals map available so you can find them all yourself!
Better be quick though, they’ll only be bouncing around until midnight on the 19 November.
Stay up-to-date with the Urbanimals project by following Playable Cities on Twitter at: @PlayableCity. You can also check out the hashtag: #urbanimals and watch as people discover and share their encounters across Bristol.
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