Lighthouse presented the UK premiere of Blast Theory’s latest work
“Day Of The Figurines”, a mass participation artwork using mobile phones.

Dates: 4th to 27th April 2007
Venue: Lighthouse

Set in a fictional English town that is littered, dark and underpinned with steady decay “Day Of The Figurines” is like a mix of Eastenders and Second Life directed by Quentin Tarantino.

Up to 1,000 players play the game by sending text messages. To start they visit Lighthouse to choose a plastic figurine, which is then placed onto a model of the town. From there onwards all game play is on the player’s phone as they try to help others, respond to dilemmas and complete missions.

Players can join and leave at any time during the whole game time as it unfolds over 24 days. They can chat to other players as events unfold in the town: a summer fete, a gig by Scandinavian death metallists, and the arrival of an Arabic army...

Blast Theory, nominated for four BAFTAs and winner of the Prix Ars Electronica, is renowned internationally as one of the most adventurous groups using interactive media. Recent shows include the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, the Hebbel Theater in Berlin and the National Museum of Singapore.

Day Of The Figurines is the world’s first MUD (Multi User Domain) for mobile phones and was developed as part of the European research project IPerG (Integrated Project on Pervasive Gaming).