Photos 02 Nov 2008 09:13 am
Pulse Park
- A couple of weeks ago, I noted in a post that a large bank of theatrical lights had been placed in a circle on the Oval Lawn of Madison Square Park. This obviously indicated that a new “Art” piece was in the works. Little did I know that the lights WERE the art piece.
Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s Pulse Park is an interactive light installation that monitors visitors’ heart rates using two heart rate sensor sculptures, and activates two hundred theatrical spotlights, creating a pulsating matrix of light across the central Oval Lawn of the historic park.
According to the Park’s information about the piece:
Pulse Park marks the U.S. public art debut of Rafael Lozano-Hemmer. In Pulse Park, evening visitors to Madison Square Park will have their systolic and diastolic heart rates measured by one of two sensor sculptures installed at the North and South ends of the Oval Lawn. These biometric rhythms are translated and projected as pulses of narrow-beam light that will move sequentially down rows of spotlights placed along the perimeter of the lawn as each consecutive participant makes contact with the sensors. The result is a poetic expression of our vital signs, transforming the public space into a fleeting architecture of light and movement. 
During the daytime the lights look like this.
At night, the lights come in waves and create glowing patterns on the very bright green grass. Semi silhouetted people flicker about on the grass and move in the strobe light glows. Then it goes dark, and you wait another couple of seconds before the next wave begins. It was quite surreal and very interesting. Here are some stills.
If you look closely, you’ll find some people traipsing about.
I expected to have lights flashing in my eyes, but
that was never a problem.
I went the first non-raining night I could, last Monday, and recorded this short film on my camera to give you an idea of what you see in the dark of the park.
There’s a short item in The Gothamist about it.
New York Magazine had another, similar article.
Postnote: My photos were taken last Monday. Two days later half the lights were down, and by Friday they were back. I went by last night at around 7pm, and the piece was dark. I’m not sure when exactly they’re operating.
