Imagine attending a demonstration at the Mall during the day and then returning that night to discover the grounds illuminated like a galaxy of stars — thanks in part to your very footsteps. Imagine the reward of seeing your path traced in a spectacle of light.
For the multimedia installation "Field of Stars," piezoelectric lights planted into the ground record footfalls by harnessing kinetic energy. For each fixture, the brightness and duration of the light is indicative of the number of people who stepped on it. The grid of lights as a whole paints a broader picture. Each evening, the grounds become a portrait of light created by the patterns and volume of that day's foot traffic. Stepping on a light also triggers a sound: a fragment of a historic speech, the song of native birds, a passage from an iconic score of music. The effect is to hear a ghost of all the treasures of sound and story that have been born of the Washington Monument grounds.
The evening's transformation of the grounds will unify the diverse paths of the visitors, poetically representing the common convictions and passions of the people and the interconnectedness of the nation. The beauty of the network of lights links people across time and intention, backgrounds and aspirations, into one enduring yet mutable symbol of togetherness.
Click here to learn more about this proposal. To vote, visit www.wamocompetition.org.
Share this articleShareLinks to the other finalists:
— "Arcs of Shade" by Stephen Lederach.
— "You and Me" by Jinwoo Lim.
— "The People's Forum" by Karolina Kawiaka.
— "Monument of Unity" by Jacques Prins, Kevin Battarbee and Egidijus Kasakaitis.
— "An Inclined Plane" by Julian Hunt, Lucrecia Laudi, Monling Lee and Miguel Angel Maldonado.
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