Beck's mixes public art with mobile technology

When I first saw the big green box in front of CocoWalk the other day, I knew it had something to do with Beck's Beer because of the key logo on the box. "La Llave." And I thought it was another promotion, you know, maybe coupons or free beer samples, but it's something really great.

Beck's is looking for “independent thinkers” and has launched the “Green Box Project,” an ongoing campaign that has commissioned works from designers, musicians, and other creative professionals, and will showcase them in seven cities across the U.S. and Europe. The twist: Rather than hanging the pieces in traditional galleries, Beck’s is presenting them in augmented reality installations — a series of 30 glowing 6.5-foot cubes that viewers must unlock with smartphones in order to “reveal” the work that’s hidden inside. It mixes public art with mobile technology.

The heavy lifting falls to the campaign’s iPhone and iPad apps (Android to come), which are designed to determine a user’s proximity to an installation by pinpointing a phone’s GPS location, then display the work and related content (such as interviews with the creators) on their screens.

"You have, so to speak, a pair of glasses that allows you to experience what is inside of the Beck's green box," said Peter van Overstraeten, global marketing manager for the brands. "Every box is filled with a piece of art, fashion, music or design or a combination of those, because we're talking about those four passion points of our target consumer."

At their first installation, Belgian conceptual sculptor Arne Quinze kicked off the campaign by designing a new, giant, and completely virtual flame for the torch held by the Statute of Liberty. Strangely though, Quinze's piece doesn't actually use one of the Green Box Project's namesake green boxes. Instead, it's viewable by anyone with the app who's located close enough to the statue in New York City.

The campaign, produced with creative shop Mother London, also includes boxes scattered in Los Angeles; Miami; London and Manchester, England; and Rome and Milan, Italy. Joining Quinze on the long roster of hired artistic guns are fashion photographer Nick Knight; DJ and producer Sam Spiegel, who also scored the soundtrack for Mother New York’s award-winning transformation of the Standard Hotel into a building-sized light show for retailer Target; and self-styled “jellymongers” Bompass and Parr, the irreverent confectioners who build oversized, attention-grabbing sculptures out of sweets.

Beck’s has also issued an open call for submissions, promising to bankroll and feature a total of 1,000 pieces over the next three years. Knight and Spiegel will curate the competition, choosing which submissions will make the cut.

So check out the box when at CocoWalk. I'm sure it will be a big hit on Gallery Walk night, this Saturday, August 6.