Interactive art has been all the rage. In fact, there's even an exhibition called the 2012 Magic Art Special Exhibition Of China going on right now in the city of Hangzhou. Visitors are encouraged to interact with these 3D paintings, and it seems the goofier you are the better. (Watch the BBC report here and see some awesome photos of it here .) Until August 6, visitors can become a part of these murals. If you dare, you can even get eaten by a voracious dinosaur or douse a scary fire-breathing dragon.
After seeing Buzzfeed's list of Five Recent Pieces Of Cool Interactive Street Art, I thought we could add to the discussion. In particular, we wanted to find pieces that became even more interesting when people would interact with them. So today, we've rounded up 10 of our favorite interactive works found on the streets. They're not only fun and unexpected, they're also incredibly clever.
Enter Super Mario Bros.' World
Students of Columbus College of Art & Design created this 8-bit mural with a Super Mario Bros. theme. The large 16 feet tall by 38 feet wide mural took 12 students 8 days to create. This piece stood as a metaphor for student involvement. As one of the people behind it said,”Ultimately, students control their college experience if they participate in the discussion, like a player controls a video game. The mural invited students to participate by posing in the landscape to complete the image.” [Link]
Balance on Ice Cracks
Famed street painter Edgar Mueller transformed a huge slide of a pier into a dramatic ice age scene. In Ireland, back in August 2008, he created it for the town's Festival of World Cultures. Like most of Mueller's pieces, the image can only be seen from one perspective. It took Mueller 5 days to complete this huge work of art. Together, with up to five assistants, he painted it all day long from sunrise to sunset. [Link]
Get Hit by Children Riding a Bike
As part of the George Town festival, a month-long celebration of art going on in Penang, Malaysia, Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic created this piece of two life-size siblings taking a ride on an actual bike. The wall painting provoked a fascinating and creative response from its visitors. People were taking pictures of themselves doing everything from chasing the children down the street to levitating next to it. (We love the ones where people look like they're getting run over.) [Link]
Climb Imaginary Stairs
Multi-media installation artist Panya Clark Espinal made everyday objects like a ladder, umbrella and stairs into simple geometric shapes and then screened them to a subway station's walls and floors. The series of anamorphic pieces, which can only be seen at certain angles, was intended to make us think about how we move and travel. Who wouldn't want to pretend to climb these stairs to nowhere? [Link]
See Your Fun Shadow
The Shadow Project, by Katie Sokoler, makes us see our whimsical selves! Sokolor cut out human forms from black paper and taped them onto the walls and sidewalks all around Brooklyn, New York. She then waited patiently for people to walk by and snapped a picture of them at the exact moment they matched up with their shadow. [Link]
Watch Your Step!
in June 2011, famed photoshopper Erik Johannson created a street illusion called “Mind Your Step.” In the heart of Stockholm, those walking by through a public square had to be careful so they wouldn't fall in the giant hole in the ground. Johansson smartly provided a yellow platform so that viewers could stand on it and see the work from the perfect vantage point. [Link]
Play Real Life Monopoly
In Chicago's Logan Square, passersby can enjoy the subtle additions of Monopoly-inspired sculptures strewn about, as though pedestrians are a part of the life-sized board game. As the artist behind it Bored explained to Colossal: “The goal of this entire project has been to present something different than a stencil painted on the ground or a poster pasted to a wall. Something 3-dimensional that can be picked up, beaten down, kicked, yanked, grabbed, and broken. And if someone ever put forth the effort to remove it, like a weed it will always grow back. And if left alone it will evolve into something different.” [Link]
Stand on a Pedestal
Talented street artist e1000 created this 3D illusion on the streets of Madrid. E1000 is known for painting the patterns of grates, vents, and manhole covers into something new and appealing. This time, a simple sidewalk grate served as the top of a pedestal for unaware pedestrians. [Link]
Raft Down a River
English chalk artist Julian Beever (aka the “Pavement Picasso”) recreated a whitewater rafting thrill ride in Charleston, West Virginia. It was for the Appalachian Power Park during FestivALL. Notice how there's a hungry-looking crocodile at the bottom, waiting for its next victim. [Link]
Cut Down a Tree
Papy and Milouz from the TSF Crew created this amazing floor to ceiling graffiti tree and then later proceeded to “cut it down”! On the side of this anamorphic piece it reads “Sorry For The Tree We Need More Space.” On one side, don't you just love how they spray-painted some real trees white, to match the painting? Also, notice how those in the photo are carrying saws! [Link]
This is one art trend we'd love to continue seeing. If you've seen some more, please share them with us!
