Spotlight
Pics: Cheryl Wing-Zi Wong
Current USA Current is an interactive public sculpture by Cheryl Wing-Zi Wong on the new bridge path at the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge (former Tappan Zee Bridge) in New York. By day, the sculpture’s moving shadows and refractions of sunlight passing through the glass fins are ever-changing. In the evening, Current creates a shared spatial experience through the light animations that respond to movements of passers-by. Composed of 12 illuminated steel arches, Current is a dynamic sculpture that celebrates transformation. Referencing the ebb and flow of river currents, currents of light, and currents of time, the sculpture is under continual transformation. The sculpture’s largest arch is 25ft tall, with the smallest standing at 4.5ft. During the daytime, the sculpture responds to the sunlight cast upon it. The movements of the sun are seen through the shadows the sculpture draws on the adjacent ground, and through ever-changing pink and yellow refractions of sunlight that pass through the iridescent dichroic glass fins perched on the apex of each arch. In the evening, Current creates a shared spatial experience through the light animations that respond to movements of passers-by. The sculpture is self-illuminating with integrated LEDs that form lines of white light that shimmer across the array of arches. Similar to a clock’s chime, Current plays a unique, short light animation upon each new hour. Wing-Zi Wong worked with lighting designers from Arup on the illumination of Current. Arup has been providing peer review and design assistance to the New York State Thruways Authority (NYSTA) for several years as part of the design and construction oversight of the Mario M.
024
www.arc-magazine.com
Cuomo Bridge, its support structures and approach visitor areas. Here, Arup provided technical lighting consultancy, lighting specification, assembly of control systems, construction, and system setup oversight, as well as the programming of the sculpture. Designers Xena Petkanas and Christoph Gisel worked with Wing-Zi Wong to design and develop dynamic lighting scenes that were programmed and refined during several nighttime programming sessions on site. The sculpture’s lighting system consists of 24 runs of fully encapsulated, direct mains voltage powered LED strips, connected to a DMX controlled 120V dimming rack, controlled by a cue-based lighting processor, and triggered by two motion sensors at either side of the art piece. The effects were programmed using ETC theatrical programming software, and subsequently recorded onto the lighting processor. When either motion sensor is activated, one of 16 unique lighting effects is randomly triggered. To add complexity and unpredictability, up to three effects can be layered simultaneously if multiple triggers occur. Some effects are directional, and can only be triggered by one of the two motion sensors, increasing the perception that the effect is connected to the movements of passersby. The sculpture lighting subtly pulses at a low level between effect triggers. Embodying movement, progression, connection, and change Current has become a new community hub and experience for the Westchester landing. www.cw-zw.com www.arup.com
