The term subway is not really used here in Melbourne or Australia, most of our trains run above ground. The closest thing - the City Loop, a four stop ring that in my opinion doesn’t run frequent enough or cover as much as the CBD to warrant what I’d call an efficient system (if you’ve ever been on Hong Kong’s MTR, you’d know what I mean). In major urban hubs like NY, Tokyo and HK however, the subway is a part of everyday life and with a little innovative technology, things just got a little more interesting.
Via CScout we’re pointed to Subway Motion Picture Ads which consist of a sequence of still images on a number of panels that when illuminated from behind create a motion picture experience for commuters rattling by on a train. The idea is based on the 19th century zoetrope, which is basically a large scale, rounded flip-book.
Overload?? Some may think so, but given that most of the stuff we see in the underground is nothing more then pathetic attempts at grafitti, I like the idea. Besides, it might keep you amused just long enough not to notice the guy trying to read over your shoulder.
The technology’s licensor Submedia have been expanding the use of this new marketing medium across Asia, United States and Europe and just when you think there were no more places to bombard you with an advertising message, Sudmedia have announced the “moving picture” ads for pedestrians, often mounted on scaffolding or indoors in public areas of office buildings. These street-level ads are about 60 ft long adding up to a 15-second spot.
Here are some good examples of the ads in action both commercially and from an artistic standpoint:
Parasite - Universitaet der Kuenste in Berlin. By loading a Mac mini, a projector, and a battery power supply into a suction-cup equipped suitcase that they then attach to the side of a subway train. The system projects video of an imaginary world onto the tunnel wall as the train races along. (We believe this is the High bandwidth version, if you have a slow connection, please be patient)