Medical and psychological research shows that we feel better when we are able to share how we feel, especially when it comes to people suffering from depression, anxiety and other mental health issues. That's why Mental Health Charity - Mind - opened up an online help forum, where people could write about their feelings and seek comfort and understanding from others - and especially from Mind's volunteers.

Through a specially written code, we were able to connect the online forum, and the topics/discussions there, to the traditional backlit billboards in major cities in Sweden. So when people read or wrote a post about e.g. Depression, the backlit billboard with the LED-lit word 'Depression' faded and lost its strength in real time, to illustrate what happens when we share our deep (and dark) emotions. They fade.

By stripping the traditional backlit outdoor units of their posters - and installing LED-lit words connected to the topics in the help forum with a tailored code, we gave this outdoor campaign feelings. And we reflected the feelings of others - and illustrated what happens when they get help. The depression, hopelessness, loneliness etc fades.

Through a custom-built Wordpress plugin with an event listener and a hook, the activity is picked up from the forum. The plugin sends data via a REST API to a micro-controller (Arduino) that controls the LED-lights in the units. So the lights are controlled through the Arduino with GSM-receivers that can pick up data from the forum, which means that every time someone writes in the forum, it senses it – and reacts in real time by dimming the lights.