Squid Facts Electrical Box

You know what’s awesome? Squid. The largest squid is the size of a school bus & the smallest is the size of your pinky fingernail. Some glow in the dark & others secrete glue from their skin. They change color to communicate with each other, and their blood is blue. Does the average Boston resident realize how awesome squid are? Not enough of them! I have been working for years to resolve this problem as social media’s go-to squid nerd. I drive The SquidMobile, a squid-covered Rav-4 that invites you to take the plunge into the Squid Facts Hotline (Fig 1). I also promote the squid facts hotline with stickers everywhere I go (Fig 2). Since 2018, the squid facts hotline has served up squid facts to 40,000+ people. It’s time to try something new! Electrical boxes are urban canvases lining our city’s sidewalks (Fig 3). In my work as the VP of the Fishtown Neighbors Association, I have managed public art projects, including collaborations with artists and galleries to convert electrical boxes into public art galleries. In this project, we will transform an electrical box into a standing invitation to learn more about squid in Allston. Our artist will design an eye-catching squid mural that teaches us something about squid, with the invitation to text the squid facts hotline for more. This project will increase viewership of the squid facts hotline and draw attention to the free science resources offered through science education nonprofit, Skype a Scientist. In recent years, science-associated content has often been bleak, focusing on covid-19 & climate change. People deserve the reminder that there are beautiful, curious things to be learned from science, not just doom & gloom. The squid facts hotline is a reminder that wonder still exists in this world.

Funded by Boston, MA (July 2022)