A teletubby cozy covers a LinkNYC kiosk in Williamsburg, Brooklyn (all photos by the author for Hyperallergic)
New York has become infested by LinkNYC kiosks over the past few years and while I think of them more for their random — mostly useless — facts (one recently blared that “Since 1908, Central Park has appeared in over 240 films,” which seemed like a small number, tbh) they are also an important part of the surveillance infrastructure the city has been building in the five boroughs. Here’s a fun fact the kiosk probably won’t broadcast: Each LinkNYC kiosk has three cameras. Can you count to three, boys and girls? One is for surveillance, two is for data-harvesting, three is for … well, you get the picture.
Details of the kiosk
But lo and behold, New Yorkers will not be stopped. A brash red sentinel appeared this past weekend at the intersection of Wythe and Metropolitan Avenues in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where a drab LinkNYC kiosk once stared blankly at us recording every movement (another fun fact: They reputedly don’t keep the footage for over seven days). We’ve been unable to identify the artist(s) so far (my inbox is open) but I have a feeling they might surface soon enough.
Various views of the kiosk
It’s probably notable that this anonymous talent chose Po for this project, considering she is the fourth Teletubby, as well as the shortest (not anymore!) and youngest — and her distinctive antenna is shaped like a bubble wand. Another fun fact: Did you know Po speaks in a soft voice and has been stated by the show’s creators to be Cantonese? I love everything about this.
So to this anonymous artist(s), I want to say … 好勁！
Now someone has to do the space odyssey 2001 version…