Hey Chicago, Feeling Blue?
Lighten up, Chicago! is a viewer based installation created to visualize and respond to real-time temperature data. The aim of this project is to recreate the ambience of warm weather and bright sunlight by lighting up the streets of Chicago. This piece is composed of two main light elements, the front display and the back display. The back uses light as a direct representation of the current temperature in Chicago by converting the temperature to color in real time using a predetermined set of RGB values. The front panel of light responds to the current temperature, and a warm color is illuminated towards the street. To create a more dynamic experience, the front display increases and decreases brightness depending on the viewer’s proximity. Both the front and back display are directly affected by the current temperature in Chicago. Twenty-four inches in diameter, Lighten up, Chicago! is composed of 1/8th inch acrylic, LED silicone tubing, a particle photon, and a proximity sensor. The data driven installation faces south towards Monroe Street from the windows of the Leroy Neiman Center.
Created in collaboration with two other students, Hayan Song & Akshay Jain, this work served as a data installation in the main building of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago as well as Northwestern University. The temperature display updated every minute, providing a live weather visualization for students, peers, and those on the streets of Chicago.