Readers may remember the Great Boston Bomb Scare of 2007. A marketing campaign for a new television cartoon series led to the Boston authorities suspecting that the marketing materials were bombs (something that didn't happen with identical materials used in many other cities at the same time). The Bomb Squad was called out, and the city's traffic was disrupted for hours as they tracked down and disabled the devices (blowing up at least one in a controlled explosion).
It seems this inspired an artist (I use the term loosely) named Rees Shad. In collaboration with another "artist", Rebecca Stern, he dreamed up the Declarative Lamp Project, which:
'uses electronic performance to explore the extent to which fear has been instilled in American culture. Witnesses in a part experience seemingly innocuous electronic pathway lighting that comes alive at dusk with lights and voices in many languages declaring, "I am not a bomb".'
The video below shows the "artist's" idea.
Hmm. I'm not so sure that would work in my part of the country. Round here, the average citizen, hearing a lamp speaking to him (and saying anything at all, never mind assuring him of its non-explosive nature), would likely haul out his trusty sidearm and ventilate it thoroughly!
So much for fear . . .
Peter
Maybe that is making Richard,s point.
ReplyDeleteAnnoying.
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