Whispering Cloud, one of the shortlisted projects for the Playable City Award 2015

Have your say on the 2015 Playable City Award Shortlist

Posted on Tue 19 May 2015

Were you one of the thousands of people who played, danced and shaped their shadows under streetlights last year? Perhaps you struck up a conversation with a lamp post in the summer of 2013? These projects - Shadowing and Hello Lamp Post - are previous winners of our Playable City Award and we've just announced the seven shortlisted projects for this year - now you, the people who play, can have your say on the lot.

Were you one of the thousands of people who played, danced and shaped their shadows under streetlights last year? Perhaps you struck up a conversation with a lamp post in the summer of 2013? These projects - Shadowing and Hello Lamp Post - are previous winners of our Playable City Award and we've just announced the seven shortlisted projects for this year - now you, the people who play, can have your say on the lot.

The Playable City Award challenges artists, designers, architects, technologists and creative practitioners from all over the world to bring together creative technologies, art and play to surprise and engage people by bringing a sense of wonder to public spaces. It's all about playfulness, interaction, and people - and Bristol is at its very core.

We received 197 entries from 60 countries. Seven artists have now been shortlisted, with playful ideas from Switzerland, the UK, Poland, Sweden and the USA all making the cut.

Which project do you want to see take over Bristol in September? What do you want to see and play with in our city?

How about Marimba-like benches that teach you how to pick out a tune? Ever fancied conducting your own light orchestra, Fantasia-style? Maybe you've thought boring old pedestrian crossings could be spruced up a bit with a bit of musical interaction with the folks on the other side of the road?

Maybe taking a seat on a magical bench that invites people to play with you is more your thing? Or you could share secrets inside a gigantic, fluffy cloud that hangs over the city, play songs through natural materials like wood, water and soil or get your spirits lifted by interactive curious critters who appear in unexpected areas.

You can read more about each of the shortlisted projects here and leave your thoughts, questions and comments. This is your chance to interact with the entrants - we've got a pretty tight schedule, so you've got a week to feed back.

Clare Reddington, Director of the Pervasive Media Studio and Executive Producer of the Playable City Award, says:

"In the third year of the Playable City Award, we are delighted not only with the huge international response to our call, but with the scope of the ideas presented and the breadth of talent it represents. The international interest in the Award confirms our belief that the Playable City theme connects across cultures, geography and creative disciplines. We are excited to share our shortlist with the public for their comment and review and look forward to launching the winner this summer at Watershed"

Clare will be part of the judging panel, which also includes Google Creative Labs' Tom Uglow, internationally acclaimed artist and designer Jason Bruges, and play researcher and author Miguel Sicart and Claire Doherty, Director of Situations. The group will decide the winner on Tue 9 June, and then three months of development will kick off.

Bristol will of course be the first city to get to play with the winning project, and then the artist will travel to Japan to have their project showcased as part of our Playable City Tokyo programme with the British Council.

But which one of the projects will make it to Bristol and perhaps Tokyo? Have a read over the 2015 shortlist and let us know your favourite. We'll be back in a couple of weeks to announce the winner... see you then!


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