Worth a shot: Splashing out on city links

Berlin – Two European cities are set to play tag – graffiti tag, that is – at the Media Façade Festival this week. In the SMSlingshot project by interactive street art collective VR/Urban, participants in Berlin and Liverpool will publicly trade text messages using electronic slingshots and a pair of giant media screens.

Those taking part type a text message using a keypad integrated into a wooden slingshot, then aim the gadget at the screen to ‘shoot’ the message to a targeted point. The SMS immediately appears as a coloured splash on the façade, creating digital graffiti. Online, offline, virtual and real come together in a vibrant take on mass communication.

Like the temporary follies created by DUS Architects of Amsterdam, SMSlingshot demonstrates a winning way to animate public spaces and create opportunities for serendipity and spontaneous engagement. LS:N Global will track this trend for live events in our forthcoming report on Conviviality Culture, part of our autumn Trend Briefing.