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Terrarium

New York, NewYork, USA

Terrarium is a permanent, site-specific public art project that reflects the evolution of TriBeCa —a neighborhood constantly in flux. The project features an inspiring light design in the lobby of a New York City landmark building built in 1881, enabled by Color Kinetics LED lighting systems.

From dusk to dawn, shifting patterns of light radiate from an assortment of acrylic bubbles mounted on the walls. Visualized by artist Grimanesa Amorós of Amorós Studio, the installation was intended to inspire reflection. “To passers-by on the street, it is an alteration of a familiar landscape, a moment to re-imagine their daily world,” she said.

Illuminating the acrylic bubbles are strands of iColor® Flex SLX, a flexible LED-based strand that can generate countless colors and effects without the constraints of fixture size, shape or space. Each LED strand has 50 individually controllable tri-color nodes that are driven by Color Kinetics proprietary Chromasic® technology, which allows each node to generate over 64 billion color combinations. The strands are mounted along the wall with an acrylic bubble placed over each LED-based node.

Using iPlayer® 2, a compact multiple show storage and playback system, and ColorPlay®, user-friendly light show authoring software, Amorós was able to program the Terrarium display in a few days. The DMX-based control system, which allows simple authoring and playback, removes the time and guesswork associated with bringing intricate light shows to life.

The iColor Flex SLX strands were chosen for their long life-span, flexibility and low maintenance requirements, assuring Amorós that Terrarium will inspire the community of TriBeCa for years to come.