Middlesbrough shoppers were left bemused today when CCTV speakers started making seemingly nonsense broadcasts.<br /><br />Passer-by Emma Martinez was walking through the town centre at around 2:30pm when she started to hear a voice.<br /><br />She said: "I think someone had hacked into the sound system. I think they were talking about BP but not sure as I did not catch what they said.<br /><br />"People were looking, but not everyone could make out where it was coming from."<br /><br />One broadcast started "Good morning, good morning, good morning, and what a lovely day it is. Rise and shine. Rise and shine," before playing jolly jingle music.<br /><br />Another, sounding like the voice of Boris Johnson, said: "We intend to unite and level up across the while of our United Kingdom."<br /><br />Andrew Glover, of Middlesbrough Council, explained: "This is a temporary installation as part of Middlesbrough Art Weekender.<br /><br />"The speakers will be used for one hour a day between now and Sunday."<br /><br />According to the weekender's programme brochure, the broadcast appeared to be the 'LOL' performance, listed as "a sonic intervention through Middlesbrough's CCTV surveillance network."<br /><br />Created by Sound Art Brighton artist Olivia Louvel, it is described as such: "At sites in the centre of town, passers-by can hear political slogans, news headlines - read by the AI voice 'Kate' - and the sounds of protest, reflecting the current state of political affairs in Britain."
