_Hello Lamp Post

Hello Lamp Post is a playful, participatory project that builds on the city’s physical infrastructure to facilitate conversation and public engagement. It premiered in Bristol in 2013, and subsequent versions were produced in cities including Tokyo and Austin, TX. By drawing on pre-existing identifier codes that label street lamps, post boxes, manholes, telephone poles, and other “street furniture,” the project allows participants to send text messages to specific objects. These objects then text back with questions and prompts. Participant responses (moderated for offensive content) become part of the project: when participants respond to a question, objects will share a randomly selected prior response to the same question. Hello Lamp Post invites people to rediscover their everyday surroundings, share stories with each other, and playfully engage with the urban environment.