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# Hello Lamp Post
- URL: https://www.protein.xyz/hello-lamp-post/
- Published: 2013-01-28T10:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2016-06-16T04:01:47.000Z
- Description: The winner of Bristol's Playable City competition allows users to 'talk' to their surroundings
- Author: Protein
- Tags: Seeds, Technology, #protein, #Import 2024-06-11 13:15

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/fc/71/fc716215-5729-441a-bd07-e2b50bc413b1/content/images/S3/protein/3557/60ac1148-401e-4979-a18e-fc112e89b357.jpg)

Bristol’s [Playable City](www.watershed.co.uk/playablecity/) award aims to engage creatives to invent ways that encourages people to support, explore and enjoy the city. Entrants included [umbrellas that acted as a murder mystery tour guide](shttp://www.watershed.co.uk/playablecity/2013/shortlist/jolly-brolly/%22), a [giant interactive balloon machine](http://www.watershed.co.uk/playablecity/2013/shortlist/balloonometer/?ref=protein.xyz) and a series of connected touch screen games dotted around town. The winner however, was a collaborative project from minds of [PAN](http://panstudio.co.uk/?ref=protein.xyz) studios, artist [Gyorgyi Galick](http://www.gyorgyigalik.com/doc/GyorgyiGalik%5FPortfolio.pdf?ref=protein.xyz) and designer [Tom Armitage](http://infovore.org/?ref=protein.xyz).

Taking the features that many people take for granted on any UK city street, letterboxes, lamp posts, bus stops, and other ‘street furniture’, and kitting them out with unique codes, people were encouraged to begin a conversation with them via text message. Send a text and the object will reply with a question that will be affected by external factors such as the weather, or its location.

Not only does the project imbue previously overlooked city features with a personality, it also acts as a form of crowdsourced quality control as any damage or issues can be passed on to city officials to schedule a repair. The project will be installed over the summer and may potentially be expanded to other cities.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/fc/71/fc716215-5729-441a-bd07-e2b50bc413b1/content/images/S3/protein/3557/4f77b262-0901-49d8-904b-ec685446b1ab.jpg)