proteus
Interactive Public Art - Case Study
Right off the heels of my first Light City/Neighborhood Lights public art project "Open Beats" in 2016, I got to work dreaming up a submission for the following year.
I set out to challenge an issue I had with the first Neighborhood Lights program. Due to the nature of the festival format and funding available, these works are usually designed to be temporary.
To me, this presented an opportunity to work with the Waverly Main St Association on something more ambitious. Together we would create a new public space, and a semi-permanent art object that could foster creativity beyond the scope of the festival.
Project Highlights
YEAR
2017
CLIENT
Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts,
Waverly Main St
WEBSITE
SERVICES
Design, Project Management, Fabrication, Event Production, Marketing
Concept
The installation took on the moniker of "Proteus". A mutable elemental being, shifting and changing form over time. This theme allowed me to explore the connections between my collaborators, our individual art practices, and the neighborhood of Waverly.
This underlying narrative of fertile soil (Waverly), imbued by water (Light City at the Inner Harbor), activated by air (Soundtrack by Amy Reid) and fire (LED programming by myself, and fabrication by Audrey Van DeCastle), reflected the natural history of the neighborhoods tree canopies and meadows.
Collaboration between myself, the community, BOPA, contractors, and fellow collaborators was key to activating Proteus
Proteus would be my first foray into programmable LEDs, something I found very laborious and more intensive than my experience with projection mapping and live vjing. I spent the winter teaching myself about the materials and setup from online resources, while also researching how to incorporate a multi channel audio reactive component.
While I had no prior experience utilizing steel shipping containers, I learned as much as I could from examining similar structures in person and online. Due to weather delays and ever shifting construction schedules, many of the choices regarding materials were made before the container was available to physically work with! This meant making some educated guesses and having strategies in place if things didn't pan out as planned.
As the new year approached, I had to switch gears (often daily) from artist/fabricator, to booking agent/event producer. This was a test in striking the right balance between seeking outside help and wearing several hats, in order to come in within the budget. I thank the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts for its support throughout the process.
Proteus at sunset
In addition to breaking new ground organized aweeks worth of programming. This was a big undertaking compared to the previous year's one day event. Included in the programming was a live drum performance from 901 Arts, an "LED Throwie" workshop for kids and families, local food vendors, and over 10 performances by local musicians and performers.
The weather presented many challenges leading up to the launch and throughout the week. Exercising flexibility, patience, and trust was crucial at every step of the project. The support from everyone involved however was incredible. Members of the community expressed appreciation for having a piece of Light City in their neighborhood.
Lucas performs on top of Proteus
PROTEUS INCLUDED A WEEK OF PROGRAMMING INCLUDING LIVE MUSIC PERFORMANCES, OUTDOOR YOGA, AND A COMMUNITY ART WORKSHOP
Over the week Proteus was active, I gained valuable insight into how audiences interact with public works. To my surprise, I found that the most simple aspect of the project, the LED throwie workshop, was a crowd favorite. Everyone loved adding their creations to the metal hull and taking home memorabilia on the last night.
The diverse bill of local musicians and performers supported the theme of a shifting kaleidoscopic being (Proteus) capable of taking on many different forms.
My favorite part of this project was watching how everyone came together to celebrate and explore with their fellow neighbor. The personal connections birthed from these kinds of creative shared experiences are always
Video
Promotional Artwork by Nathan Gorey, Animation by Jose.