"Ranson Note" is an interactive video installation that interacts with SMS. Each time a spectator send an SMS, it displays the SMS in a "RANSON" style. "Ranson Note" uses Java to connect to a GSM modem in order to interact with a flash video.
All photographs were taken during the "Nuit Blanche" on June 1^st 2007 in the Shanghai Exhibition Center.

Dear Mr Xu,
I hope this message finds you well. I will venture to say that you have noticed the monitor I installed in your home, as you are currently reading this message on that exact screen. Quite simple really. GSM modem connected via Java technology to interact with a flash video. I send a SMS - that’s a text message to you - and it magically appears on the wall. But let’s not bore you. At this exact moment it is a lovely, sunny day in Shanghai and I have just taken your son hostage. How is the rest of the family; little Mimi, your wife Dottie, the dog Pogo? I trust they are still tied up in the living room? I tried not to make the ropes too tight, but would not feel comfortable making any promises. Anyways, let us move on to the issue at hand. If you ever want to see your son again, which one would think you do, please do not try any of the following: leaving your home, calling the police, making any attempts to signal someone outside your home, calling a friend, turning on the television, calling a neighbour, eating the three dumplings that I left on your kitchen counter or, especially, making any sudden movements. I am not, in fact, watching you, and so, will put my faith in the unwritten code of kidnapper-kidnappee conduct that you will appreciate and abide by these rules. Ah, I almost forgot – would you mind not touching, meddling, or assorting with my contraption? It is quite a sensitive being and a lot of toil went into its conception. I must go and run a few errands now, but will be in touch.
Irregularly,
He who wrote this Ransom Note [G.M. Giacomelli]