http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Boston_bomb_scare
Remember this? In 2007, hometown Boston had a big scare over an installation of Aqua Teen Hunger Force LED Mooninites. Don’t know about you guys, but I was pretty upset a silly little ‘guerrilla’ marketing scheme could create such panic like that.
Anyway… Of greater relevance to us all, a story I posted not too long ago: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/21/takeshi-miyakawa-arrested-nypd-i-love-new-york-art-williamsburg_n_1532529.html
During the 2012 New York Design Week, Takeshi Miyakawa, a local artist and designer (with work in the permanent collection at MOMA) installed a series of glowing ‘I Love NY’ bags about town. Rather than in celebration of the city, as the artist intended, the bags were mistaken for a terrorist threat, landing Mr. Miyakawa in prison. As all of us creative people, we ought to be outraged by such an outcome.
My project – A couple of years ago, I began a series of black box devices, each piece designed to ‘sabotage’ its user. At the time, I was without the functionality of Arduino, and eventually lost steam – But now, oh yes, now, with the power of Arduino, I can begin again! My concern – Should I? If I present the black box in its intended context, do I risk the unintended consequences? Do I abandon the meaning of my project for something safer? Or perhaps I alter the context…
As always, your thoughts are appreciated.