Artist Plays William Tell 2.0 With iPhones

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Easy target. @johannes-p-osterhoff

Swiss folk hero William Tell and his apple sharpshooting get a 2.0 update with this game using Apple iPhones.

The brainchild of artist johannes-p-osterhoff, who we last saw adbust an iPad ad with porn, the game is pretty simple.

Each player straps an iDevice on their head (osterhoff, who prefers a creative lowercase, seriously, crafted the sturdy holders) and your opponent tries to hit your Apple device (or logo if you’re wearing a shirt) with a soft ball. Whoever hits the most times, wins.

"Solid construction keeps your iPhone in place and makes it clear if the hit's valid or a grace shot."@ johannes-p-osterhoff

William 2.0 is meant to be a playful provocation about the state of tech:

“Today—when everything is 2.0 and products turn to whole widgets—our rulers have become technology and software manufacturers, but still of importance is everybody’s freedom. Perfectly designed user experience and multi-touch make us forget that the easy-to-use interfaces are designed not only for our benefit.

The more beautiful those interfaces are and the more compelling the experience from purchase to consumption, the quicker the Gruen transfer. With the AppStore, Apple has not only created a platform for programs. The back then hardware manufacturer now controls all small programs, books and magazines on its devices, music and videos to a great extent.”

And before you get the urge to hurl rotten veg (virtual or not) at osterhoff, CoM found out that no actual iPhones were harmed in play.

@johannes-p-osterhoff

The Apple devices are all dummies — he got the idea after friends refused to give up their iPhones for a little horse play at a party —  you can check out the ceremonious unboxing video of the stand-ins here.

If you want to test your marksmanship, the iPhone 4 version will take place on September 2 at Ars Electronica.

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