Wisdom of Play

Digital discovery doesn’t have to be limited to the Internet. Bloominglabs, a local hackers and builders group, is designing and constructing six interactive geocaching boxes that will be placed around the Bloomington area.

In the spirit of the Wisdom of Play, the Bloominglabs geocaching boxes will add another dimension: Visitors will be required to play with the box in order to open it. In some boxes this will be a physical puzzle to solve. In others, the contents will direct each person to perform a task or extend their journey to another location. Throughout these interactions, information will be captured about each visit to the caches, including pictures, audio recordings, and objects collected at that location. These artifacts may become material for a secondary digital art project.

Geocaching typically involves using GPS devices to locate treasure boxes hidden outdoors in interesting locations. Bloomington has an active and growing community of geocachers ready to act as mentors.