A hidden digital pufferfish blows bubbles near London’s National Gallery
IT’S Sunday afternoon in London’s Trafalgar Square. Not far from the fountains, someone has left an enigmatic message on the steps: “Fine mist washes over my face,” it reads. “Gray skies seem bluer here.” Tourists wander by, but none of them can see the words.
In fact, there are hidden messages painted all over the square. On the side of the National Gallery, somebody has scribbled a declaration in large letters: “Maria, I love you”. That graffiti has been there for more than a month without anybody cleaning it off. And inside a nearby restaurant, waiters are serving pizza, blissfully unaware of the message on the wall saying the food looks like pigeon droppings. The square is home to invisible images too – and even strange creatures. A yellow pufferfish, for example, is floating in the air above a metal sign, blowing bubbles.
Visit any major city, and you will find it teeming with similar messages and images. For the past few years, millions of people have been using location-aware smartphone apps to daub comments, ratings, images and videos on top of places, objects and, to a certain extent, even themselves. This digital graffiti is personal, informative, sometimes trivial and often subversive. And soon it will be thrust into much clearer view. Later this year, Google is expected to launch a set of “augmented reality” glasses that can overlay digital information onto the physical world. Apple is also rumoured to be investing in such technology. One of the upshots will be that the digital graffiti people…
