Interface

Cell Phone: Art and the Mobile Phone

I had a chance to see the exhibit "Cell Phone: Art and the Mobile Phone" today at the contemporary, which managed to alternate between being very interesting and very boring. It's kind of peculiar that both sensations could be so intimately experienced, however I suppose that's one of the benefits of being born into the Web generation (use of passive voice noted, and ignored). The most impressive exhibits were those in which either the technology was fully utilized or the interactivity of the device itself was the subject of the art. A great deal of the work (such as the piece pictured above) just used cell phones as miniature televisions, which is just plain stupid.

Most interesting was a piece by Blast Theory (a really awesome British interactive art group) which documented one of their most recent GPS "games." In this "game," there are two users working in tandem, following instructions from the mysterious "uncle Roy." One of these users receives Roy's instructions via internet messaging on his computer. He then relays these instructions to the other user, who is using a GPS-enabled device in the real world. The computer user guides the other through several objective points, and tracks him via GPS.

GPS games are really, really awesome. Hopefully, as more GPS-enabled handhelds saturate the market, these games can become commonplace. At least it would aid in dispelling the stereotype of the basement-dwelling computer geek.

This could be you.

12:25: Subject leaves Fox Building
12:26: Subject enters into adjacent parking lot, and enters car (licence plate number removed)
12:28: Subject exits parked car, and proceeds across street towards cathedral
12:30: Subject enters into main building
12:31: Subject enters into room 101 for an orientation lecture

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