Light Pond, Elmendorf Geurts, 2021
SERVICES PROVIDED: Design coordination, Materials research, Budget management, Engineering coordination and oversight, Artist selection process, Fabrication oversight, Lighting design development, Scheduling, Project close-out.
In 2018 we began working with Milender White to develop a vision for the art programming for their redevelopment project Parkside @ City Center, located at the intersection of E Alameda Ave and S Sable Blvd in Aurora, CO. This redevelopment project is part of a series of exciting redevelopments that are collectively transforming a generic and mall-oriented suburban area into a vibrant, walkable and lively center of Aurora.
For the Retail Courtyard located at the corner of E Alameda Ave and S Sable Blvd in Aurora, CO, local artist team Elmendorf Guerts were selected to create an interactive, technology-based work that serves as a gateway welcoming residents of the community and visitors alike to the site. The resulting installation entitled Light Pond is a series of concrete pavers that each contain an array of integral acrylic rods and LEDs, a LED microcontroller, and a sensor. The sensors triangulate sounds such as footfalls and conversations and create a wave pattern like ripples on a pond. Each sound that is sensed creates a wave origin point and the ripples propagate, interact with each other, and reflect off of the perimeter, all based on the wave equation.
The artwork is designed to ensure an equally exciting daytime and nighttime experience. When visitors or passersby approach from the street, they will notice the intriguing wave patterns and be drawn in, encouraging them to interact with the artwork. Light Pond is designed to inspire community. The artists envision the excitement of visitors seeing the interaction of sound and light and engaging with others in a playful experience.
Digital rendering courtesy of OZ Architecture. Installation photos and select text courtesy of Elmendorf Geurts.
