[in]lighten

Open publication - Free publishing - More test

Test:

To see if the public would engage with 'garbage' that had been recycled into an object they where familiar with, a light. And furthermore to see if that engagement would continue with no given incentive.

We decided on the idea of a light not only for something the public could recognise but to also draw attention to the appropriated piece or 'garbage' in the evening.

To begin we went to the streets to find 'garbage'. After sifting through bins and smelly alley ways for half an hour we found: A water bottle, beer bottle, glass coke bottle and a plastic bag.

To turn this trash into treasure we placed battery powered LED'S inside of them. We then also attached a set of instructions to the light that read:

[in]lighten needs your help!!!

what you need to do:

1. pick up the light that you have found

2. read the map provided below to find your bearings.

3. make your way to Corrs Ln.

4. Place the light in Corrs Ln however you wish.

-note: if you do not wish to take part in this exercise please leave it here for someone who will.

regards, [in] design team.

We set the lights up at 7.30 pm on a Monday night as a trail from Corrs Ln to Russel St along Lonsdale St in Melbourne's CBD.

We observed from a distance only checking in every half hour.

At first the public was not engaging with the lights, mostly people just accepted them as street art.

After half an hour we decided to leave a note on each light saying 'please read me'.

This began to prompt engagement. Over the course of 2 hours all the lights where engaged with and taken to Corrs Ln.

We also noticed that people engaged with the light but decided not to further there engagement by taking it to Corrs Ln. But what was excellent to see was that they left it for someone else to find.

All in all a great success in observing engagement in an urban setting.