Street Ghosts: Artist Paolo Cirio Posts Printed Versions Of Google Maps Figures In London

Google Maps 'Ghosts' Posted For Real In Street View Art Project
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Street View meet... the street.

Across East London, New York and Berlin, a street artist has been posting real, printed versions of the ghostly figures who appear in Google's Street View mapping service in their original locations.

The pictures of the blurred, strange figures have turned up in various locations around the three cities.

Known as "street ghosts" the project is intended as a comment on the unauthorised use of people's images online.

The artist, Paolo Cirio, explains:

"These images do not offer details, but the blurred colors and lines on the posters give a gauzy, spectral aspect to the human figures, unveiling their presence like a digital shadow haunting the real world."

Cirio adds:

"The collections of data that Google and similar corporations have become the material of everyday life, yet their source is the personal information of private individuals. By remixing and reusing this material, I artistically explore the boundaries of ownership and exposure of this publicly displayed, privately-held information about our personal lives."

It's a neat idea - check out the rest of the London "ghosts" below, and if you have a suggestion check out Cirio's website.

View Street Ghosts in a larger map