Hello Wall

Cool initiative from the global art project Wasted Spaces. Their mission is to transform neglected buildings and empty shop fronts in cities around the world by turning them into exhibition spaces for artists.

the Hello Wall is their latest project and is created by London based duo Hellicar & Lewis. People passing by on Wembley High Street are encouraged to interact with the large-scale installation by tweeting commands like: circles, triangles, squares, faster, slower, bigger, shake to @thehellowall. The art work will then change appearance according to the instructions it gets.

Via Wasted Spaces.

Codeorgan

If you've always wondered what your favorite website sounds like, then here's you chance to find out. Codeorgan by London based agency DLKW is a Flash application that analyses the body content of a web page and translates it into music. It uses an algorithm to create the musical composition that best fits the site's code. Key, synth style and drum pattern is determined by the page content and the result can be shared through Facebook and Twitter.

Sidetracked sounds a little like Boards of Canada over an 80s beat. Not bad.
For more details check the Codeorgan site.

Via Mashable

American Apparel turns user-generated content into lookbook

In December 2009 American Apparel held a contest in collaboration with online fashion community lookbook.nu. Community members were encouraged to upload photos of themselves in outfits featuring their favorite AA pieces. The objective was to create a lookbook solely consisting of user-generated images. Nearly a thousand aspiring fashionistas from all over the world participated and 77 were chosen to appear in the lookbook. The best pictures were reshot by professional photographers and used as cover and centrefolds. Some of them will also be turned into ads.

The lookbook is free and is available in all AA shops and via their website.

Something similar has probably been done before - I know Uniqlo has done some online campaigns showcasing people on the street wearing Uniqlo - but I still think it works because it gives AA a valuable insight into how their customers understand and use their brand. What might be even more valuable these days where peer recommendations in many cases are considered a much more trustworthy source of information than ads is, that the lookbook takes on the shape of exactly that: personal recomendations. Instead of professional models it's real people sharing their creative ideas with other AA fans.

Via PSFK

Refresh Everything

Interesting new social media experiment from Pepsi. Each month they give away millions of dollars in grants to sponsor ideas that will help improve local communities. People (in America) are invited to either upload their ideas on the campaign website or vote for the projects they think deserve to get funded. The grants range from $5.000 to $250.000 and the categories you can apply to are: Health, Arts and Culture, Food and Shelter, The Planet, Neighborhoods and Education. The campaign is set to run for a whole year and every month the ideas with the most votes get rewarded with grants. Pepsi expects to have given more than $20 million away at the end of the year - money that was originally budgeted for a big commercial to run during this years Superbowl final. I think this will prove to be a clever move.

Via HelloKinsella

Inspiration Grid by Saatchi & Saatchi Brussels

I like this idea from Saatchi & Saatchi Brussels. On their website they invite people to upload pictures of the things that inspire them. When you flip one of the pictures on the grid there's a little explanation of why someone found it interesting. Nice way to share ideas and inspiration visually.

Skype Outside

I really like this new campaign from Skype. To celebrate the Skype mobile app they have hired 5 different artists from all over the world to turn Skype customers' experiences into art. On the Skype Outside site there is a presentation of each artist to help you decide which one of them would do the best job expressing your story. Ranging from shadow artists to avant garde, Japanese street theater, wood carving and circus performance there should be something for everyone. All you have to do is call up your favorite one via the Skype link and tell them what's on your mind and if you're lucky the conversation will be turned into an outdoor piece of art in the artist's home city. It will also be filmed and uploaded on the site.

By using outdoor art they cleverly articulate the fact that Skype now has become mobile and that you can use it when you're out and about. But for me, the really great thing about this campaign is the way it involves people and makes their stories the central idea and main source of content on the site. It gives people the opportunity to participate and it offers something in return.

My City vs. Your City

Interesting website if you, like me, occasionally wonder if people are singing along to the same tunes in New York and Ankara (based on Last FM).

My City vs Your City

Via PSFK