In the ensuing riot, almost all of the buildings in Queen Square
were burnt to the ground. Hundreds of protestors died, nearly
ninety were sent to prison and four were hanged.
There are many grisly tales about these riots. It is said that
you could see the flames from Wales.
Next
spring, Ralph Hoyte and Liz Crow will be presenting a re-enactment
of the riots with a new technological twist.
With
their track record in expansive public artworks ranging from
being Tintagel's poet in residence to directing a vibrant
documentary about the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, they are
bound to offer us a fresh perspective on Queen Square.
Interactive
theatre
Armed
only with a handheld computer and a pair of headphones, anyone
connected to the wireless kit will be able to move around
an "interactive theatre" in the square.
Without
giving away all the gruesome details, different events happened
in different places, and these will be triggered by your movements.
As
well as a new form of experimental art, this project is one
of the many tips of a local iceberg called Mobile Bristol.
Mobile
Bristol is a professionally co-ordinated team of business
and academic researchers from Hewlett Packard, Bristol University,
UWE and digital product experts The Appliance Studio.
It
is funded for two years by a grant from the DTI, and intends
to explore and chart the opportunities offered by mobile (or
wireless) technologies.
Wireless
games
The
range of projects is huge and includes BBC educational work,
Ashton Court computer tourist guides, wireless games in the
Watershed, and working with pupils in Ashton Gate school.
All
of these projects have a common theme: how we live and interact
within our environment, and how wireless technology will alter
this.
As
well as making us reach for our fire hoses, the Queen Square
project will also offer the Mobile Bristol team a chance to
actively test their technology, art, and our reactions to
this experience.
The
areas of specific interest include:
- How do you create a wireless network infrastructure in
Queen Square?
- How
do you enable artists to put their performances on that
network?
- How
do you simultaneously run this art on multiple handheld
computers?
- What
is a 'good experience', and how could wireless technology
enhance this?
By
the end of its DTI sponsorship, Mobile Bristol will have explored
many new avenues and published their findings on the web.
Hopefully,
their work will encourage the council to support and promote
this new medium, and local businesses will have had a chance
to experiment with it while us punters will have enjoyed the
fusion of art, business and technology.
The
Queen Square project is one of many new ideas coming from
this team. Have a look at the website for more projects. Link
is on the right.
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