Best arts and culture apps: technology we love

Smart phone wizardry is breathing new life into London statuary thanks to Sing London, writes Laura Tennant

Sing London is an arts charity with a mission to raise the public spirits by whatever means necessary. In the past, that has included ping pong tables scattered through public spaces, unattended pianos just begging for some friendly musical fingers, and The Song Exchange, an event at the Royal Albert Hall which united teenagers and older people in shared music-making.

Sing London’s latest wheeze uses clever mobile phone technology to bring some of London’s most famous statues to life. Talking Statues has recruited some impressively starry names to write and perform interior monologues for statues of Queen Victoria, Achilles, Sir Isaac Newton and the Unknown Soldier and other usually silent luminaries. Writers include Anthony Horowitz and Jacqueline Wilson, while the actors enlisted to give voice to the imagined stream of consciousness include Dominic West (Achilles), Prunella Scales (Queen Victoria) and Patrick Stewart (the Unknown Soldier). 

Swipe your phone on the specially designed plaque next to each statue to download an audio file and Dominic West’s baritone direct to your shell-like. 

The project will run for a year from 19 August 14. For more details, keep an eye on Sing London. 

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