[rohrpost] Blast Theory at FIRST PLAY BERLIN - opens tomorrow: 28.9.06

[Anette Schäfer]

Blast Theory at FIRST PLAY BERLIN

Day of the Figurines
First Play Berlin

1. Day of the Figurines
Be the first to experience Day Of The Figurines - a virtual city where
events are dictated by text message. A gig by Scandinavian death metallists.
An invasion by a Middle Eastern army. A church fete. Send and receive. React
and Interact.

Trampoline are delighted to host the world premiere of renowned British
media art group Blast Theory’s new mobile phone game for up to 1000 players.
Day Of The Figurines will be on show for 24 days in the Berlin venue Hebbel
am Ufer theatre, HAU2, launching on September 28th at 6pm.

Day Of The Figurines is a mass participation artwork using mobile phones
that is part board game and part secret society. Set in a fictional English
town that is littered, dark and underpinned with steady decay - the game
unfolds over 24 days, each day  representing an hour in the life of the
town. Players choose a figurine to represent them and participate using
their mobile phones. Interacting via text messages players receive updates
from the town, missions and dilemmas. They can chat to other players who are
near them using text messages as events unfold day by day.

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) and in collaboration with
Mixed Reality Lab, University of Nottingham. Following FIRST PLAY BERLIN,
Day Of The Figurines will visit the National Museum of Singapore in December
2006 and tour the UK in 2007. For more information about multi-award
winning, Bafta-nominated Blast Theory go to www.blasttheory.co.uk


2.  First Play Berlin
Day Of The Figurines kick starts a month of digital art in and around Hebbel
am Ufer. FIRST PLAY BERLIN features innovative work questioning the concept
of performance and interactive art. Dominated by an artistic process
absorbed in understanding location and pervasiveness, the work demonstrates
the complexity of our globally connected reality.
FIRST PLAY BERLIN is funded by the German Federal Cultural Foundation,
British Council, Hebbel am Ufer and Radiator Festival for New Technology
Art.
For more information about FIRST PLAY BERLIN and Trampoline – the
international platform for new media art -  go to www.trampoline-berlin.de