Smart Oxford is the latest in a series of Playable Cities all over the world: Playable Cities are projects to help you see your city differently. Using Smart tech, the aim is to get people to interact with each other, and their city streets, differently.
For Oxford, six projects were shortlisted last summer, offering a whole variety of ideas, from pop-up doors, to buttons you Should Not Press. But the winner of the award was Hellion Trace, with their Star Light, Star Bright installation, and they were then given finances and help to realise the project.
The result is a set of seven step-activated lights representing different constellations, including Cassiopeia and Orion - constellations which are normally visible in the winter skies above Oxford, or would be if it weren't for the light pollution. Together with friends, or fortuitously gathered strangers, you can light up the whole constellation. Because you'll need a group to do it, you might well end up meeting some new collaborators.
While you're lighting up the skies, you might want to ponder on the inspirations for this project - how Oxfordshire is intimately entwined in the history of space exploration, how connected we all are by the stars we share above us, no matter where we're from, but how those same stars can pinpoint where you are in space and help you navigate to somewhere new. Or you can just enjoy bouncing on the steps and making the winter nights a bit brighter!
7 locations around the city
