ELEMENTARY: Talking statues such as Sherlock Holmes are coming to life via NFC

Visitors to the UK cities of London and Manchester can now interact via NFC with 35 high-profile statues that have been given a voice by actors, comedians and writers, including Patrick Stewart, Jeremy Paxman and Hugh Dennis.

Visitors who touch their NFC phone to a plaque on one of the Talking Statues receive a historic, comic or fictional call back from the likes of Isaac Newton, Queen Victoria and Sherlock Holmes. A call back can also be initiated via QR or by entering a short URL that is shown on the plaque.

Readers can take a “call” from legendary detective Sherlock Holmes, for example, by visiting speak2.co/sherlock on a mobile device.

“Most of us hardly notice the statues around us. Talking Statues aims to change this,” says Colette Hiller, creative director of arts producer Sing London which collaborated with Antenna Lab and NFC platform provider Wooshping on the project.

“They may be cast in stone but their voices have been set free. We are privileged to have a stellar line-up of writers and actors who have put themselves in the shoes of these statues.”

“I think Talking Statues is a lovely idea,” adds actor Patrick Stewart. “It brings a sense of intimacy and personality to the statues that surround us all.”

“This is a new kind of museum guide – where the city is the museum,” Antenna Labs’ Jessica Taylor explains. “Talking Statues is all about using low-cost technology to give people access to art, culture and technology in streets and parks. The technology is intuitive, making it easy to launch a spontaneous and immersive cultural experience. Even those who already love culture and public art will appreciate seeing these statues in a totally new way.”