Canopy of Light

2009, Woolwich Squares, London
Lasers, bespoke software and mirrors

The proposed work is an animated choreography of light, suspended above the Woolwich squares, creating a connective flux between them and incorporating an interactive element through collaborative engagement with a choreographer.

Canopy of Light – re-imagines and reactivates the squares when their daytime activity has drawn to a close: the space of the squares is ‘lifted’, made visible in the sky, leaving the squares themselves untouched and creating another tier/layer.

Interaction/engagement: Daytime activity within the squares will be picked up and recorded through sensors. This data is reworked and played out at night as a choreography of light – the result of a collaboration with either the Greenwich Dance Academy or the Laban Centre through which a choreographic pattern will be created which can be used to interpret the data.

The advantage of this approach is that it embeds the work within its surroundings and generates meaning which is neither over obvious nor illustrative. It also resonates with Gustafson Porter’s design principles of Ballroom, Garden and Flow and draws upon the strong history of performing arts and specifically dance in Woolwich and Greenwich’s history.

The traces of people’s daytime lives become a luminous light drawing. We propose to ricochet a series of beams off multiple mirrors placed on the existing light posts within the squares. One single laser beam can be up to 30 miles in length and we aim to maximise the potential of each beam in order to create a weave of light.