Google brings real-world graffiti onto Chromecast and other devices

Nine months after Google announced it was bringing street art (read: graffiti) online through an initiative with galleries from around the world, the Internet giant has revealed it’s doubling the number of high-res images available to more than 10,000, while also making it available through Chrome, Chromecast, and Android Wear.

The Google Art Project is part of the Google Cultural Institute, the Google arm that has been working with art and cultural institutions to digitize offline exhibits. For street art specifically, Google has been working with 86 art organizations from 34 countries to help preserve some of the cool urban creations on walls and buildings around the world.

This has led to some pretty impressive crossover pieces of art dubbed “GIF-iti” — street art that’s “photographed, re-painted, and then re-photographed” to create something like this:

Above: When the web and street art meet: GIF-iti

The Google Art Project also taps Street View to deliver walking tours and audio-visual stories behind some of the street art, as you can see in the likes of the New York City water tank tour.

Last October, Google revealed a new feature for its HDMI streaming dongle, Chromecast, that lets users personalize the rotating background images when beaming to their screen. It basically serves as a giant screensaver for TVs, letting users access their own Google+ photos, artwork from galleries, museums, and more.

With that in mind, Google is now bringing street art to Chromecast, while also partnering with a number of organizations to introduce mobile apps dedicated to local street art scenes — this includes Melbourne’s colorful lanes and lively murals from key locations around the world such as Honolulu.

Google also recently launched a new Chrome extension that serves up a fresh piece of art with each new tab you open — this will also now tap into its growing street art library. Finally, Google’s wearables-focused operating system, Android Wear, is also getting some street art lovin’, with new watchfaces to personalize your smart timepiece