''Yellow Arrow'' was a public art project created by Christopher Allen, Brian House, and Jesse Shapins that was active from 2004 to 2006. The project is an important example of

locative media Locative media or location-based media (LBM) is a virtual medium of communication functionally bound to a location. The physical implementation of locative media, however, is not bound to the same location to which the content refers. Location-b ...

and mobile phone art and draws concepts from

psychogeography Psychogeography is the exploration of urban environments that emphasizes interpersonal connections to places and arbitrary routes. It was developed by members of the Letterist International and Situationist International, which were revolutionar ...

. ''Yellow Arrow'' stickers were obtained from the project website and placed anywhere in the public realm. When encountering a sticker on the street, one could send the unique code printed on it as a

text message Text messaging, or texting, is the act of composing and sending electronic messages, typically consisting of alphabetic and numeric characters, between two or more users of mobile phones, tablet computers, smartwatches, desktop computer, des ...

to the project phone number. Moments later a message would be received that was left by the person who placed the sticker. The ''Yellow Arrow'' symbol means "there’s more here: a hidden detail, a funny story, a memory, and a crazy experience." Each arrow linked digital content to a specific location using the mobile phone. As an underground phenomenon, the project developed an international community, and 7535 ''Yellow Arrow'' stickers were placed in 467 cities and 35 countries. Since first appearing at the

Psy-Geo-Conflux Psy-Geo-Conflux (better known as Conflux) is an annual New York City festival dedicated to psychogeography, where visual, performance and sound artists, writers, urban adventurers, researchers and the public gather for four days to explore the phys ...

in New York in May 2004, ''Yellow Arrow'' has been featured in The New York Times, Wired, Newsweek, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, CNN and NBC, the London Times, Politiken, Liberation,

Diari de Barcelona The ''Diario de Barcelona'' ( catalán: ''Diari de Barcelona'') (The Barcelona Journal) was a newspaper founded in 1792 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. With a few interruptions it was published in paper form until 1994, and in digital form until ...

, and de Volkskrant. ''Yellow Arrow'' was also featured in Lonely Planet's Guide to Experimental Travel. In ''Toward the Sentient City'', Mark Shepard writes, "In place of the ubiquitous bronze plaque providing "official narratives" affixed to the side of "significant" urban structures or spaces, ''Yellow Arrow'' provides for the unofficial annotation of everyday urban places by ordinary citizens." ''Yellow Arrow'' was included in the exhibition ''Design and the Elastic Mind'' at the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

in New York City in 2008. In 2006, the project was discontinued and its content was archived on

Flickr Flickr ( ) is an image hosting service, image and Online video platform, video hosting service, as well as an online community, founded in Canada and headquartered in the United States. It was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and was previously a co ...

References

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External links

Yellow Arrow websiteYellow Arrow archive on flickr
International artist groups and collectives Hypertext Stickers