QR Code or Crossword? – By Filmmaker Christian Svanes

An article by Himanshu Khanna    No Comments

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QR Code or Crossword?

Trust filmmakers to narrate stories in whichever way (read: medium) possible.

Just like Filmmaker Christian Svanes Kolding did!

At the recent MoMA’s Talk to Me exhibition, visitors had an option of scanning additional information about everything that was exhibited, using QR codes. One of the most interesting QR code assigned was with Filmmaker Svanes Kolding’s film The Things We Keep. It is a crossword puzzle built inside a QR code.

“Since I was interested in creating a commemorative souvenir about my film, which itself is a story about souvenirs, it seemed rather logical to use the QR code as a central motif… the puzzle format allowed me to highlight certain areas of interest that my film covered,” he informed.

Err… what is a QR code?

QR is abbreviation for Quick Random. A QR code is a type of two-dimensional code, first designed by Toyota subsidiary Denso Wave in 1994 to track vehicles during the manufacturing process. Off late, these codes are being used outside automotive industry too. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background that allows large chunk of contained data to be decoded at high speed.

Things we keep crossword - QR code

Svanes Kolding’s side of the story

He informed that it was challenging to make matrices of two – three letter words that fit together on a preset board. “I will probably never reveal how much time it actually took me to make this puzzle.” It was probably a bigger task them to contain them within a particular theme.

QR codes are not being used to their best in the current scenario, as Kolding suggests. Most codes are assigned at places where your cellphone’s data reception is not good enough to scan and follow. Even when you’re able to scan, at most, they bring you to a certain website.

“Many opportunities exist in that moment, and it would be a shame to waste such an opportunity due to an advertiser’s lack of imagination. A QR code could be seen as having a small role as part of an expansive dialogue, facilitating a conversation through the act of nudging and provoking the user,” he said.

The QR code – crossword puzzle by Svanes Kolding (for The Things We Keep) with clues is available here as a PDF.

We think it is a very unique and interesting start. And the possibilities with QR codes are immense.

Do you know of any more interesting concepts, where QR codes are being used? We’d love to know your comments in the section below.