San Jose’s Cesar Chavez Plaza was covered with rn”maverick flying red messengers” on rnAug. 9. The game was partly inspired by William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and is rnmeant to be played outside. Because of the aerial rnviews captured by the wireless camera, it is likened to a dream-like state.

The balloons used in artistic expression by Jenny Marketou are filled with helium, and rnsuspended using a 30-foot-long tether.

New York artist Katie Salen (on left) developed the rules for “99 Red Balloons.” The game is ideally played with nine teams and 18 balloons. Each team is led by a “Spy Fairy” and “Aerial Navigator.” The Aerial Navigator has a tech-free red balloon to attract the public, while the Spy Fairy has a balloon equipped with a wireless camera. The game’s objective is to re-create the game of hide and seek and document what is improvised and found.

About half of the balloons in the art display include a small, wireless camera. Jenny rnMarketou, the artist who developed the art project, has been interested in the development rnof surveillance for many years.

On Net Surveillance Systems, Inc. provided the technology used to capture and archive rnimages retrieved by the wireless cameras used on the red balloons. They can get feeds from rnup to four cameras at one time, though Marketou claims to have had a more efficient rnexperience with analog rather than wireless systems.

Both Jenny Marketou and Karen Salen claim to have seen some really interesting images from rnso high in the sky. Marketou, while interviewed, commented on the response people have rnwhen seeing themselves from the birds-eye view angle. When shown, most captured on aerial rnvideo are surprised since they have never seen themselves from that perspective.