New York-based artist and designer Sebastian Errazuriz has created a riff on the iconic and ubiquitous “I Heart NY” design by Milton Glaser in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. Submerging the logo in blue dip-dye on a T-shirt for Grey Area, Errazuriz, whose studio was paralyzed by city power…
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A proposed project from an acclaimed artist aims to illuminate the Bay Bridge
With the rest of the country gathering for scattered tree-lighting ceremonies, Leo Villareal has been busy trying to illuminate another iconic structure: the San Francisco Bay Bridge. Villareal envisions covering the northern expanse of the bridge with The Bay Lights, a dynamic light display that reflects off the surface of the water below. A nod to the 100th anniversary lighting of the Eiffel Tower, the project should come to life just in time to celebrate the 75th silver anniversary of the Bay Bridge in 2012.
The ongoing fundraising for the $7 million project will pay for the installation of 25,000 bulbs (outward-facing to avoid distracting commuters). With the environment in mind, project architects aim to keep energy costs to a fairly modest $11,000 over the proposed two-year installation period. The installation, which takes inspiration from ideas related to connectivity and mobility, promises to make a spectacular sight from the northeast side of San Francisco.
Villareal has an impressive list of large-scale light installations under his belt, but the Bay Lights project would take his work to a monumental new level. To learn more about Villareal, check out our video of the artist from 2007 above.
Bryan McCormack’s Parisian installation uses colorful condoms to raise AIDS awareness
Starting at the facade of Paris’ Centre Pompidou and continuing up the six-floor escalator, Bryan McCormack‘s installation creates a monumental tunnel of colored light bulbs for a mesmerizing effect. The hue changes on every floor to create a dynamic rainbow of cylindrical bulbs, which are covered in glass-like plastic condoms. A grand total of 80,000 bulbs comprise the condom tapestry of the Pompidou’s moving staircase, taking the rubbers from typically intimate settings to a public neo-pop display. Their multiplication on such a massive scale changes the way we see them, and the installation, called “Preservation Is Life,” provides a beautifully thoughtful message as part of the arts center’s annual AIDS fundraising campaign.
Accompanying the visual showcase is the stunning audio of a human heartbeat to illustrate the concept of preservation as both safety and the act of staying alive. The pulsing changes along with the colors, starting as the cardiac rhythm of a fetus in the womb at the ground floor and progressing to a newborn baby’s beating heart and so on, until the sixth and final floor, where riders hear the regular ticking of the 39-year-old artist’s own heart. The French title “les sons de la vie” or “the sounds of life” refers to this aspect of the installation.
The ephemeral installation runs just through 5 December 2011, but the condom-wrapped plastic light bulbs are also available for purchase at the design boutique for around $23 each.
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