Yesterday I was coordinating the press preview for Scion’s new exhibit at their Culver City gallery: “Insiders, Outsiders & the Middle” curated by Giant Robot. Space Invader is one of the featured artists. As I watched the artists set up their work and transform the gallery before my eyes, I had the opportunity to chat with Space Invader about one of his pieces. The photo below was taken with my Blackberry Curve, so it’s not the best, but it will do….

So while this is a piece of art, there is very literally a hidden message. This is actually a QR Code/Data Matrix , which is the next generation of barcodes. I believe that QR Code and Data Matrix are 2 versions of the same technology and that the former was developed by a Japanese company and the latter by an American one. They work in the same way but just look a little different. We are all familiar with the black and white vertical lines of a barcode which designate a series of numbers. Well the QR Code, which is already very common in Japan (of course the US is technologically lagging), actually contains real data – words, hyperlinks, contact info, numbers etc. You can scan it with your reader-equipped cell phone and a message will pop up on your screen, or even a hyperlink.

So there might be a poster for a movie with a QR Code included – you wave your phone at it and it opens up a video trailer on your phone. No lie, this is actually real!

So back to Space Invader. The piece above has a message encoded in it. He demonstrated with his iPhone, on to which he had downloaded an app that can read QR Codes. He pointed his phone at the piece as if to take a picture and the text popped up on his screen “This is an invasion.” Nice! I tried to take a pic of the result but as you can see below, I couldn’t get the best photo with my cameraphone.

Additionally there is a 40% tolerance for error, so Space Invader can actually tweak the appearance of the code a little bit to include his signature space invader icon (or parts of it, check the bottom left corner), and the code will still be readable and produce the same message.

So expect to see a whole new level of street art popping up courtesy of Mr. Invader and once this technology is prevalent in the US there will be plenty of unique ways to market with it.
For more info on QR codes, check out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_Code
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datamatrix

Generate your own!
http://www.i-nigma.com/personal/Create.asp