SMSlingshot
Christian Zöllner (German, born 1981),
Patrick Tobias Fischer (German,
born 1980), Thilo Hoffmann (German,
born 1980), and Sebastian Piatza
(German, born 1985)
of VR/Urban (Germany, est. 2008)
2009
High frequency radio, Arduino board,
laser, batteries, plywood, and ash wood
14 3/16 x 8 5/16 x 1 5/8" (36 x 21 x 4 cm)
The SMSlingshot marries the traditional
weapon with digital technology, splattering
information onto facades and other
surfaces that then serve as public
screens. The battery-powered device is
a wooden slingshot with a display screen,
keypad, and laser. Users can store and
type text messages and then release the
slingshot to blast them onto surfaces,
where they appear within a splash of
color and linger as long as the performers
decide, and the text is tweeted at the
same time. VR/Urban considers the
SMSlingshot an intervention against
increasingly commercialized urban space,
which is thus reclaimed and occupied
through virtual tags. The device fuses
a prehistoric tool, vibrant urban art, and
innovative technology into a product that
encourages interaction, information, and
empowerment in the city.
Category: City
Tags: Interfaces / Liminal Spaces / Visualizations
