When Ben Kinsley and Robin Hewlett of Carnegie Mellon University found out that Google Street View is coming to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the duo arranged a more "interesting" view of the street: they staged a marathon, a parade, a mad-scientist laboratory, and even a sword fight!
National Geographic Magazine’s Intelligent Travel Blog has the story: Link [with embedded YouTube clip] | The Google Street View of Sampsonia Way – Thanks Marilyn!
Mouserz
when I was reading about this a few weeks ago, they said that the google-street-view car was invited there so they could do the joke.
Orjan Morjan
Well it’s not like they waited in that alley for the google car and suddenly jumped forth.
Frau
I wish I had known about the google street view car when it had been driving past my house.
We are forever now in the car and going to lunch on a saturday afternoon.
Namowal
Is there a way to find out when the car is planned to come by? Or is this kept secret (normally) to prevent shenanigans?
Marilyn Terrell
@Mr. Binky: yes, they did know someone in Google, that’s how they pulled it off. The video tells the full story.
liphttam1
Nice! I put I sign outside my house. Im leaving it there until google comes by! not there yet!
Sid Morrison
I thought it was pretty clever (especially the guys with the laser) but had to really chuckle when I learned this was actually a “public art project” that was the Masters’ Thesis (in Fine Arts) for the organizers.
http://www.cmu.edu/news/archive/2008/November/nov11_streetwithaview.sh tml
The description on the above link is a real hoot.
I quote:
“For one day, artists and citizens turned a small, one-way alley in Pittsburgh’s North Side into a dream world, an elaborate montage of spontaneous performance and provocative visual art.”
AND
“Integrating fiction, community storytelling and performance art into the platform of instant-access, 360-degree imaging, the “Street With A View” project explodes the barrier between reality and performance, life and art. It represents communities and artists taking back the power to define themselves and their environments and to use technology as a tool of self-expression.”
Somebody is really taking themself a little too seriously. Come on…. It was a funny prank, but a Master’s Thesis project?
Sid Morrison
ted writes: “An MA in Fine Arts must be pretty easy to get.”
so it seems!
mssusan
On May 3rd 2008, artists Robin Hewlett and Ben Kinsley invited the Google Inc. Street View team and residents of Pittsburgh’s Northside to collaborate on a series of tableaux along Sampsonia Way. Neighbors, and other participants from around the city, staged scenes ranging from a parade and a marathon, to a garage band practice, a seventeenth century sword fight, a heroic rescue and much more…
mssusan
Normally Sampsonia Way is a fairly unassuming street, but when Ben Kinsley and Robin Hewlet, two art school grads from Carnegie Mellon University, found out that the Google Maps Street Team was coming to town, they decided to make things more interesting.
The two, along with a group of friends staged a marathon, a parade, a mad-scientists laboratory, a sword fight, and more, all along the route.
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Corinne
Mr. Binky
ted
