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Olympic Light Art Designed by You (and Rafael Lozano-Hemmer)

by Matthew Zuras on February 12, 2010 at 10:16 AM

Want a chance to take part in the Olympic celebrations in Vancouver? One of our favorite tech-loving artists, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, just debuted his public art installation 'Vectorial Elevation' for the start of the Winter Olympics today. Lozano-Hemmer has placed 10 high-powered searchlights, controlled by online users, on each side of English Bay in the British Columbia city. Visitors from around the globe can log on to vectorialvancouver.net and create their own light show for all of Vancouver to see.

Lozano-Hemmer first created 'Vectorial Elevation' ten years ago for the Millenium celebrations in Mexico City's Zócalo Square. (See video of the Mexico City interface and installation here.) His original Web interface was programmed with Java, but, having since presented the work in Lyon and Dublin, Lozano-Hemmer has updated the interface with Google maps, including a birds-eye view and 3-D rendering map. Users can select individual searchlights, and move them over a 100,000 square meter area without leaving their Web browser.


In his press release, Lozano-Hemmer explains, "If people don't participate, the piece does not exist" -- a fact true of most of his art. The coalescence of technology and participation underlies the majority of the Mexican-Canadian artist's work, from his breathtaking 2008 installation 'Pulse Park' in New York's Madison Square Park to his video mirror pieces like 'Make Out' and 'Close-up.' Luckily, for the Vancouver iteration of 'Vectorial Elevation,' participation is not a problem. Having tested the piece online for the last seven days, the site has already received thousands of submissions.

Go to the site, and create your own design. You're able to dedicate your design to a friend or loved one, and to include a message for other participants. Happy designing!

Tags: art, crowdsourcing, light installation, LightInstallation, participation, rafael lozano-hemmer, RafaelLozano-hemmer, sports, top, vancouver, winter olympics 2010, WinterOlympics2010

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