Making Chalk Talk
When I was invited to Chalk the Walk in Mount Vernon, I knew there’d be some incredible chalk artists showing off their talent. I didn’t think I could compete with their technical skill, so I approached it from a different angle: interaction. I wanted to create something that wasn’t just seen, but experienced.
At first glance, my piece looks like a friendly sloth and a startled puma drawn in bright chalk. But at the top, large letters prompt passersby: “Use your phone and make the chalk talk.” A QR code leads to two short videos, and when two people place their phones where the animals’ mouths would be and press play at the same time, the characters come to life. What follows is a funny, existential conversation about art, life, and the fleeting beauty of chalk. For a moment, those two people aren’t just viewers, they’re collaborators. And with their smartphones in use, they can’t capture it. They just have to live in it.
My guide, the grid.
It was a simple design with a unique experience.
All the mouth forms.
No knee pads? Rookie mistake!
One of my favorite reactions, a father and his teenage son shared a few laughs.
Just like the sloth said, they faded away.
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[After participants press play at the same time]
Puma: “Oh, thank you! I can finally talk. Where are we?”
Sloth: “Hmmm...We're at Chalk the Walk.”
Puma: “Oh! That sounds fun! Let's check it out!” [strains to move] “I can't move.”
Puma: “Wait...we...are made of chalk?!?! AHHHHH! We're chalk! What's gonna happen to us?”
Sloth: “I suppose we'll eventually fade away.”
Puma: “So, this is it? We're born and then we die in a few short days?”
Sloth: “All we are is dust in the wind.”
Puma: “AHHHHHHHH!”
Sloth: “Calm down. Calm down. Take a deep breath”
Puma: [Takes a deep breath]
Sloth: “Brief as it is, we did something remarkable with our lives. We brought two people together, made them put down their phones, and appreciate art. Isn't that beautiful?”
Puma: “Yeah, I'm speechless.” [Audio ends]