Silent Lights; photo by Rick Lin

Updates
We are pleased to announce that our first update for 2014 involves the completion of our project! On December 17th –a cold dark and snowy afternoon—“Silent Lights” was unveiled in the presence of community leaders and project partners. Wendy Feuer, the Department of Transportation’s Urban Art Program Assist Commissioner, was there for an impromptu ribbon cutting ceremony. The installed gates are now functioning 24/7; the lights appear in ever-changing series of colors and patterns triggered by the surrounding sounds. It took more than two years to fully realize the concept, and we could not be more proud of the result and the positive feedback that we have received thus far. While installing and programming the lights, we lost count of how many people approached and asked us questions about the concept and its inner workings. We had inquiries from all kinds of people, including local kids and their parents; university teachers; bikers; people in cars, and even local law enforcement! The sheer number of people who stopped and asked questions was a welcome surprise. We had hoped that the project would pique interest but the response has been overwhelming.

Recent Wins
Needless to say our biggest achievement this month is to see “Silent Lights” up and working. The structure has been on the ground since mid-November, so we spent the past two months testing the lights and programming. Most of this work was done outdoors in freezing temperatures so we were certainly eager and anxious to see the project come alive.

Insight/Provocation
The project provides light to the underpass and makes it a point of interest thereby attracting more people and attention. Due to limited daylight at this time of the year, Silent Lights is illuminated all the time and is the only light source in the underpass in middle of the afternoon and early in the morning. This has been a welcome surprise for kids passing through as they are going home from school.