Artist Build

Artist Build has been busy with waves and a whole lot’s of holes lately, more than two thousand of them actually. But let’s backtrack for a second. We have been refining the design and developing a series of large fluid waves. We also built our first full scale prototype as one of the 6 portals that constitute Silent Lights. The purpose of this exercise was to help us define our perfect wave. By using varying scales of perforated steel panels we’ll be playing with the amount of light that permeates each structure to find the most effective combination.

Up next, we move to the site to test a series of different bulbs, stay tuned for more updates!

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We are thrilled to announce that we just won an additional grant of $3,500 from Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC) bringing our total funds to $8,500.  A very big thank you to BAC for selecting our installation!

On the news front, we were recently featured on Brookyn’s very own Channel 12 News.  The interview was filmed live at the Silent Lights site and is a good representation of the traffic noise that exists – inspiring our design.

We are happy to see how much attention we have received in the media.  Check out the links below! 

• http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/01/05/proposed-public-art-installation-would-light-up-brooklyn-queens-expressway/
  
• http://inhabitat.com/nyc/silent-lights-could-transform-nyc-traffic-noise-into-a-dancing-led-light-display/
  
• http://www.architizer.com/en_us/blog/dyn/36228/kickstarter-gifts/
  
• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/22/kickstarter-project-silen_n_1166152.html
  
• http://www.thelmagazine.com/TheMeasure/archives/2011/12/22/brooklyn-artists-plan-interactive-light-sculpture-under-bqe

Our Kickstarter Campaign is live.  Show your support at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/artistbuild/silent-lights and spread the word!

Silent Lights is a series of sculptural gates that line a pedestrian pathway at a busy intersection in Red Hook, Brooklyn.  As site grows dark at night, the gates transform the barrage of sound from surrounding traffic into visualized patterns of light fluctuating in intensity. Silent Lights is an installation that responds to a large amount of traffic noise at a busy intersection in Red Hook, Brooklyn.  It is an architectural series of gates that frames a pedestrian pathway by day and transforms sound into a fluctuating pattern of light at night.

We are creating a light installation over a pedestrian pathway that responds to the large amount of traffic noise on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway (BQE) and both sides of Hamilton Avenue. Since the noise is invisible but ever-present, we are creating an installation that visualizes the noise. This allows the pedestrians to see the noise in various patterns versus just hearing it. The installation also acts as a way finding element where it amplifies the almost invisible pedestrian path by making it more pronounced, visible and interactive. The installation will predominantly have two components, the structural elements that would line the pedestrian pathway and thae LED tubes and microphones that will be mounted on these gates. The installation will act as a way finding element by accentuating the pathway and the lights will respond to the traffic noise and light up sequentially every time a vehicle passes through the BQE.  As people walk under each gate, they will experience a brief moment of auditory peace from the overwhelming noise.  The project allows both participant and passerby to partake in the installation simultaneously – becoming more aware of their environment and sound levels.  The components will function as a living classroom as they will be used in specific educational settings.  

 

Red Hook, Brooklyn is a heavily industrialized neighborhood that has been cut off from the rest of Brooklyn by the Brooklyn Queens Expressway, the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel and Hamilton Avenue.  While Red Hook has undergone tremendous gentrification, it is also home to one of New York City’s largest low-income housing projects.  Two bus lines and one distant subway are the only modes of public transportation to Red Hook.  Many must cross the isolated pathway of our site and walk under the BQE simply to get to the closest subway station at Smith and 9^th Street.  The path of our site is located on the median of 9^th Street and Hamilton Avenue which can be very isolating and dark despite the traffic that is nearly constant on all sides and above.