Google’s iconic Google Maps symbol has been an inspiration for Taiwanese artist Shuchun Hsiao. He has constructed birdhouses in the shape of the icon and put them up at various sites in his hometown.
Aptly titled ‘Project Google House’, Hsiao took particular interest in the prominent icon because of the way it is used.
When we search for a location on Google Maps, the particular site we’re looking for is clearly marked with the inverted tear-drop icon.
Subsequently, we are able to use the scroll function to zoom in and out of the map image, according to how much detail we would like to see.
If we wanted to, we could even take a walk down the street (virtually, of course).
Hsiao noticed that unlike human beings, birds have a real-life experience of what happens on our electronic screens. With their birds-eye view of the world below, they are able to fly though any town; cruise over any city. If a street below strikes their fancy, they just have to ‘zoom down’ onto it from the lofty skies above.
In the same way that the Google Maps icon has become a symbol of day-to-day navigation for us, Hsiao hopes that his birdhouses can serve both as key destinations and navigating landmarks for some of our winged friends in the sky.
[via Shuchun Hsiao]