GALLERY 2010/2011

This is a well conceived and executed project, that in its functioning bridges the physical/virtual divide in very interesting and original ways, and in its conception (and intended uses) draws attention to the battle over public space.

On aesthetic levels, I really like the metaphor of the slingshot, creating a very literal david vs. goliath. The visualisation of the paint splatters is also well considered creating quite a beautiful effect and a visceral reaction to the act of "tagging". I think these details really bring the project to life.

I also very much appreciate the thinking of creating specifc targets/triggers for commentary. This is often what projects like this lack, where voice is "given" to the public, but without clear dialogue starters.

Unfortunately, from the documentation provided, it seems that the infrastructure required for a successful "performance" is a little bit cumbersome. It would be great to see this operating outside of festival contexts and as real guerrilla/grafitti initiatives, with urban targets that could be selected and hit based on the current issues of the time.

Also, perhaps because of the aesthetic qualities, the danger of cooption by ad agencies that you bring up, is a very real concern. How can this project be really put into the hands of "the people"?

On many levels this is a very interesting project. I’d like to analyze it using memetic theory, as it engages all three of the necessary qualities of successful memes – fecundity, fidelity and longevity.

As you write in your statement: “The wish and habit to comment (tag) the surrounding world is… an ancient and still [vibrant] phenomena we try to preserve." The tag is arguably the longest lasting meme in existence, fulfilling primary human needs of identity, territory and public expression. The slingshot, a form of primitive weaponry relies for its -longevity- not only the human propensity for violence, but also on the righteous biblical meme of the story of David and Goliath. One of our contemporary worlds’ most -fecund- meme forms is the sms tweet, which is at the heart of your SMSlingshot. The activity of “spreading information on “mushrooming… facades” is a memetic replay of David battling Goliath, in the form of our gargantuan corporate media conglomerates. Lastly, the memetic quality of -fidelity- is represented, though perhaps not in as powerful form as longevity and fecundity. Of course, anything digital has perfectly reproducible fidelity, but this doesn’t seem to be a primary component in this intervention. It seems more as if you are just playing with fidelity – the dominating fidelity of corporate communications mashing with the imperfectly projected digital message on urban wall, in an act of playful sabotage.

Is the SMSlingshot destined, then, to become the weapon of choice in today’s struggles to reclaim the public arena? It would be nice to think so, but likely not, in my opinion. You wisely point to the interest of marketing companies in finding new tools for guerilla marketing. What is possibly more fruitful is to understand what forms the SMSlingshot might or could mutate into, in an attempt to further social communication.

I believe this proposal one of the most interesting that we can find in the Beyond category. Its intention to think about media interventions, extends beyond overflow as a reflection on architecture in an expanded field. The public space becomes a kind of surface to be intervened plastically.

Each of the projections becomes a joint work, with multiple readings that may give us an extensive input from the context and the users who approach it.
The visual proposal then becomes a posterior heir of demonstrations in public space as graffiti or the arising of mass marches where student movements threw paint bombs at the large institutions against the witch they marched for several hours against.

It is so as the tours engaged by their participants can be tracked in the contents of the texts.
As an innocent child's game of the after pop era, with a slingshot made of thousands of citizens whom demand for their space, their identity and citizenship.

Behind were left intentions of hunting any bird: now the event was apparently resulted in a set of immense digital spots that can mutate in different parts of the world… starting in Europe and extending even to Latin America. It seems that with this proposal we are even reviving past moments directly to the masses, just as it done by the artistic "avant-garde" in the twentieth century, where a promise is based again in a new manifesto: "Hybrid estates".

Your tool is contemporary and very sophisticated, you learned a lot from the study and in creative process; idea of work reminded me on the ’80 graffiti ‘primitive’ material interventions – txt and paint – written or throwing on city walls. The idea to address the message, pointing to the broader society is very old (Romans graffiti, “everyone is willing to say something”) except, in your case, like is written in explanation, you produce, create new tool to do it in/on new media screen. I like the brightness and glowing of your work, easily can be mixed with high tech commercial products, although the temporality and expensiveness of tool limited its use. So the SMSlingshot tool is almost certainly not possible to exercise in horizontal, wider, more democratic way, or is so?

"Our ultimate goal is nothing short of a personal and singular Billboard for each citizen. Until that glorious day for global communications when every man, woman and child can scream at or sing to the world in 100Pt. type from their very own rooftop; until that day we will continue to do all in our power to encourage the masses to use any means possible to commandeer the existing media and to alter it to their own design", wrote the Billboard Liberation Front in their Manifesto a long time ago (http://www.billboardliberation.com/manifesto.html). Its great to see the idea of screaming your message in 100Pt. realized with modern technologies. And i really love the symbol of a sling shot - David killed Goliath with a sling shot and a sling shot is also the weapon of a "naughty boy". The only disadvantage is that "SMSlingshot" needs a lot of heavy equipment to work: projector, laptop, modem. As an installation work in a gallery space (or in front of a gallery) for media art its the perfect interactive and fun work - but as a real weapon for urban warfare is more or less useless. For me the perfect item would be a sort of "sling shot" that everybody can put on their mobiles (mobile laser to project SMS) and use it without extra-tech-knowledge or extra-hardware. But nevertheless: The idea is fantastic! And i could image nice "SMS Shots" during political speeches and demonstrations - like Julius von Bismarck did with his "Image Fulgurator (http://www.juliusvonbismarck.com/fulgurator/fertig.html).