Vertigo's "urban forest" of LED bars animates public square
by Stu Robarts | 02 Mar 2020
Echelon allows visitors to create their own experience using light and sound and invites us to take time out of our busy lives to change direction and look up.
– Kathrin Hersel
Digital art group Vertigo have created a new audio-visual installation that reacts to the movement of viewers and passersby, animating a public square with flashing LEDs.
The artwork. called Echelon, is located at the foot of London’s Centre Point building and was curated by cultural placemaking agency Futurecity for Almacantar, a development company that is rejuvenating the brutalist building.
It takes the form of a 12m (39ft) equilateral triangle of 36 vertical LED bars on which there are a total of 27,000 luminous LED points.
The LEDs flash in sync with "an accompanying soundscape spanning from brief notes to soft flowing sound images", but also react as people nearby move around.
Vertigo explained: "Echelon invites visitors to come together and transform the square into a luminous performative space. The installation rises from its dormant state whenever movement is detected, getting brighter and more active with the flow of people.
"The awakening is triggered by three radars, symmetrically placed around the light installation. The audience is encouraged to move around and inside the piece in order to get a full experience of the work."
Kathrin Hersel, property director at Almacantar, said: "We wanted to collaborate with world-class artists on our activations at Centre Point which is why we commissioned Echelon by Vertigo.
"St Giles Square is a rare oasis of space for central London which needs to reflect the way Londoners live. Aside from looking beautiful in the winter light, Echelon allows visitors to create their own experience using light and sound and invites us to take time out of our busy lives to change direction and look up."
art digital art Vertigo installation Futurecity Almacantar public square LEDs
The artwork has a total of 27,000 luminous LED points / James Burns
The LEDs react as people nearby move around / James Burns
The artwork is located at the foot of London’s Centre Point building / James Burns
It was curated by cultural placemaking agency Futurecity for the development company Almacantar / James Burns
Digital art group Vertigo have created a new audio-visual installation that reacts to the movement of viewers and passersby, animating a public square with flashing LEDs. The artwork. called Echelon, is located at the foot of London’s Centre Point building and was curated by cultural placemaking agency Futurecity for Almacantar, a development company that is rejuvenating the brutalist building. It takes the form of a 12m (39ft) equilateral triangle of
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