In 2013, the people of Bristol were encouraged to strike up a text conversation with post boxes, benches and other pieces of street furniture as part of an interactive project called Hello Lamp Post.
In 2014, we were asked to dance under augmented street lights for another project called Shadowing. This year, we're being invited to chase a rabbit, hunt for a beetle, leap with a dolphin and skip with a kangaroo.
These creatures are known as Urbanimals and, like the aforementioned projects, form Bristol's winning idea for a competition organised by the Watershed called Playable City.
At it's simplest level, Playable City aims to transform urban spaces into places of unexpected interaction. Urbanimals – created by Polish tech company called LAX – was the project chosen from a shortlist of seven entrants from around the world to put this into action.
Active until November 18, the four digital animals will be hiding in various locations across the city and it will be up to curious Bristolians to find them.
Created using projectors and sensors, these creatures become activated when passers by enter into their environment between dusk and midnight. Not only will they interact with the people that trigger their arrival, the animals will also be able to interact with their environment – such as giving the appearance of jumping down a flight of stairs.
While obviously a bit of fun, the main aim of all Playable City projects is to encourage people to engage more with parts of the city that they might otherwise ignore – and maybe connect with other people too.
There are currently no specific details about where these creatures can be found, but the Urbanimals site drops a few hints: the dolphin can be found by the water; kangaroo loves flights of steps; rabbit hides in tunnels and corridors; and beetle often plays on uneven pavements. You might be able to find a few more clues on the website.
Urbanimals, September 18-November 19. Various locations in Bristol.
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