You may have already come across QR codes as a link to online information in Manchester? There are two projects using QR codes around the city centre:
Manchester City Galleries Decoding Public Art uses QR codes to provide further information about the civic scupltures in Piccadilly Gardens, Albert Square and Lincoln Square.
The Museum of Science and Industry, in conjunction with the University of Salford and BT have used QR codes for a Science and Engineering trail around the city centre. In this case the codes are not attached to the sites of interest, but are available on a leaflet at some events, such as the Manchester Science Festival.
Look out for QR codes appearing in the Egyptian Gallery at Manchester Museum soon, allowing visitors to find further information about the displays on their mobile phones.
Did you know that it is also possible to generate the codes yourself using free online generators such as Kaywa and then add your own stories? Community projects like ‘Remember Me’ encouraged people to record their own history by registering objects on the Tales of Things website. The Manchester Oxford Road branch of Oxfam allowed donors to record information about the objects they brought in and attach a QR code, so others to find out more about the history of the object – who owned it, or any special memories attached to it.
Keep an eye out for QR codes – once you know what they look like, you may find them in all sorts of unusual places.