I Need to See You Again: Missed Connections Street Art

You know Craigslist's Missed Connections, right? The personals page where you log a brief interaction with a stranger who you hope to see again? The posts are a candid, wistful, often hilarious look at interactions -- or the lack thereof -- between people in the digital age, and beg the question, "Have we become so used to interacting online that we can't say 'hi' in person?"
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"I was buying flowers, you complimented me on my white leather jacket""I was buying flowers, you complimented me on my white leather jacket"

You know Craigslist's Missed Connections, right? The personals page where you log a brief interaction with a stranger who you hope to see again? The posts are a candid, wistful, often hilarious look at interactions -- or the lack thereof -- between people in the digital age, and raise the question, "Have we become so used to interacting online that we can't say 'hi' in person?"

"4:00 R Train Canal St - We exchanged some looks standing on the platform""4:00 R Train Canal St - We exchanged some looks standing on the platform"

That question, among others, inspired artists Lisa Park and Adria Navarro to take these digital love notes and turn them back into physical markers. The pair made oversize stickers based on Missed Connections posts, then affixed them at the exact spot where the missed connection occurred. They document the entire project, called I Wish I Said Hello, online, completing the loop.

"I was buying flowers, you complimented me on my white leather jacket""You smiled at my dog."

Mashing up familiar visual languages, Park and Navarro designed the stickers in the teardrop shape of Google Maps locations pins and use the universal colors and icons of public signage.

I Wish I Said Hello is limited to the streets (and tree trunks, and subway cars) of Manhattan for now, but Park and Navarro hope to crowdsource participants in other locales, offering templates and instructions for lonely hearts to create their own missed-connection art.

"you asked for a cigarette on corner of 5th Av""You asked for a cigarette on corner of 5th Ave."

Images: Courtesy I Wish I Said Hello