field

/turn an alleyway into a musical instrument
//story
A darkened alleyway is the last place you’d want to meet a friend.

Down one Vancouver alleyway, however, a grid of 35 shimmering lights shines down from an overpass — enticing people to take a curious look down the typically utilitarian corridor.

Working alongside HCMA Architecture+Design and the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association, we created Field — an instrument that is played with the whole body. Located in the newly activated alleyway Ackery’s Alley, Field is a permanent public art installation.

Paying homage to the Orpheum Theatre next door, a popular music venue for symphonies, Field responds with orchestral tracks as people walk under the overpass. Each beam of light reacts with a different piece of music and the hue of each light changes depending how a person moves.

Field adds a playful element to Vancouver, a place where people now congregate to make beautiful music together.
//how it works
Field has a grid of 35 sensors and lights that are connected wirelessly and activate instrumental sounds by the presence of a person under each light. A single step transforms the alley, the lights changing from white to colour. Each of the lights plays a unique orchestral instrument, orchestrated by composer Adam Lastiwka. The symphony becomes more dynamic, depending on how fast people step under Field.

/artworks