Last year in Tokyo during the Holidays, a group called Semitransparent Design completed their ninth installation of unique, interactive architecture using lighting. Of course, standing out is no easy task in the electrical circus we know as Tokyo. In this new installation, users were able to interact with light columns using their voice either through mobile or over the Web.

Semitransparent’s Ryoji Tanaka explains: “Akarium as an illumination project has been going on for eight years. When we joined the project, the light design had already been fixed and the lights were going on and off just through time-based programming. We enhanced the project with interaction, and by placing an interactive devices in a public space, we wanted to observe the changes in people’s communication.

Take a look:

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Clearly, this is artistic excellence but it also raises some important questions. Should we be looking to expand the interactivity of our social media tools beyond the tools themselves? How can brands utilize mobile and Web based tools to create consumer participation beyond uploading videos on YouTube or passing around a new application on Facebook? And, can consumer participation in the digital space shift the thoughts, moods and brand perceptions of ‘passer-bys’ on the streets of our cities? If so, can we be sure to make these experiences meaningful?

Via: Ping Mag