The Magic Tate Ball is a new location-based mobile app from the Tate. It knows where you are, what the weather is and supposedly what type of artwork you might be in the mood to see. When you shake your phone, this app presents you with an artwork from the Tate’s collection that is linked to your surroundings. It even senses ambient noise levels to determine whether you’re say, in the library or a bar. The Magic Tate Ball tells you why it chose a particular image for you and provides a short description of the work.
From my office I was given John Constable’s Flatford Mill (‘Scene on a Navigable River’). It asked me if I was having a nice bit of peace and quiet,
(like a stroll down this canal?), and ok, it does look a little like the Hudson River…how did it know?
Magic Tate Ball is available for free in the Apple App Store and the Nokia Store.
