New Ideas CityHello Museum

The Bio-ethics of Beer at Jimmy’s No. 43

Cover Image:

BeB project collaborator Gabriel Melcher shares the zine with a participant. Photo: Daniel Maestas, 2012

Social Media + Local Beer = The Bio-ethics of Beer (BeB)

The Bio-ethics of Beer (BeB) is a social text-messaging adventure first created for the International Symposium for Electronic Art (ISEA2012) lounge and other late-night bars and clubs in New Mexico. The project addresses our dependence on an unsustainable industry for food and other consumables. Participants in BeB undertake a series of simple tasks that follow an unfolding text-messaging narrative, all while earning points towards local beverages. A zine and website includes pertinent background content. The project attempts to engage participants in a fun and playful way by integrating a futuristic adventure story with social experiences at bars and clubs after hours and is designed to be a tactical, short-term project that may be used in cities and towns around the world. The compelling questions are:

Can play encourage consumers to change behavior?
Can a cell/mobile-media project encourage social interaction?
Can a cell/mobile-media project encourage people to slow down their consumption of both media and products?
Can a cell/mobile-media project be effective in a bar/after-hours environment?

See a short video about the project here

The Bio-Ethics of Beer will be at Jimmy’s No. 43 from Wednesday May 1 through Saturday May 4.