ConQwest is a Big Game in the evolving tradition of B.U.G. (Big Urban Game) and Pac-Manhattan. The gameplay was designed by Frank Lantz, with help from Mattia Romeo. Dennis Crowley designed and built the semacode system, based on Simon Woodside’s original idea and code. The game was conceived of and directed by SS+K, Kevin Slavin, Liz Cioffi and others. The promotional agency AMP was responsible for all the on-site implementation.



Conceived of by Simon Woodside, semacodes are being used for the first time in the U.S. in Conqwest. Semacodes are two-dimensional barcodes that can be scanned and decoded with a cameraphone.

Semacode stickers are placed around the city the morning of the event - some in plain sight (think street signs and store windows), others can only be found by interacting with people.

TAG Scripting Presence is a street activity in which participants ‘tag’ urban spaces using their mobile devices. This ephemeral graffiti projects is clearly similar to CitySpeak. A key difference is this project’s sentiment of competition, wherein participants challenge each other in a text messaging battle in order to have their tag become victorious. Another difference is the project’s roots in an anti-corporate response to the rejuvenation of Times Square in New York. The goal of the project is to reclaim, through digital tagging, this public space.

(via we-make-money-not-art)

read more here