Firefly
Creative Time, Art in the Anchorage: Massless Medium

Type

  • Interactive Installation

Firefly augments the Brooklyn Bridge Anchorage with a fictional presence. Skeletal self-illuminated objects, intended to be perceived as light rather than material, are scattered throughout the space. These furniture-like objects are hinting at the existence of an imaginary domestic space super-imposed on the Anchorage.

By using a Palm OS device, the viewer can be beamed "reactive animations" which give a glance of some imaginary activity related to each particular object. For example, a skeletal faucet beams rippling water or a cage beams touch-sensitive fireflies.

The trail of objects leads to a grassy slope for viewer relaxation and contemplation. Upon laying down on the grass, visitors discover another illuminated object far up at the highest point of the ceiling.

Wandering through the darkness, visitors holding their PDAs with green backlight - the same color as the illuminated objects - become an integral part of the installation. The floating green lights evoke the image of fireflies on a summer night.