Love in Brooklyn
Celebrating Valentine’s Day 2019
A digital letter of love
It’s the new skywriting.
COURIER L M BR B G IFE, FEB. 8–14, 2019 35
Brooklynites looking to profess their love for
a special someone this Valentine’s Day can now
leave a customized digital message of love on the
borough’s most photographed block thanks to a new
app.
The Wishes on Washington Street app allows the
user to hang a “love lantern” — a customized written
or audio message or photograph-fi lled orb — on the
Washington Street scene with the Manhattan Bridge
in the background. In addition to creating a love lantern,
you can also check out the love notes and wishes
from other users who have left their mark. Together,
the lanterns create a piece of interactive artwork
that only exists in the digital space.
The app is one of the fi rst augmented reality location
based alignment experiences triggered by a
landmark, and combines the technological elements
of persistence — the ability to keep digital objects in
real-world space for others to view — with locationbased
augmented reality, utilizing a custom-built
backend database. Those who leave a wish will be
rewarded with local February Valentine’s Day offers
from small businesses around Dumbo including Cecconi’s,
Jacques Torres, One Girl Cookies, and more.
Wishes on Washington Street is best viewed on
Washington Street between Front and Water streets.
Wishes can also be submitted outside the app by using
the hashtag #WishesOnWashington.
It was created by Juniper Jones, a Dumbo-based
creative agency, production studio, and technology
lab, that specializes in visual storytelling and technology
driven experiences, while shortening the distance
between an idea and its execution. The experience
is part of the Dumbo Improvement District’s
Dumbo Test Kitchen program, which taps local companies
to put their innovations to work for the community.
“We hope that checking out the love stories and
wishes of others will warm the hearts of all who
visit this special spot,” said Alexandria Sica, executive
director of the Dumbo Improvement District.
“Washington Street has hosted countless engagement
photo shoots, family photos, wedding photos —
all demonstrations of love. This is a chance to share
those memories and leave a lasting digital mark. The
new app truly refl ects the essence of Dumbo, merging
tech with art, design and one of a kind photography
experiences.”
The app is available for download through the
App Store.