We have all seen how natural phenomena are reinterpreted in or serve as models for real life solutions. Adding a little twist to this inspirational process, the city of Santa Monica put together the Glow art event, taking “its spirit from the fabled grunion, that live in local waters and come ashore several times a year to spawn in the sand, creating a momentary sensation of iridescence.” With the Santa Monica Pier and its surrounding beaches and parks as a stage, the public was invited to experience and be part of a spectacle of illumination, color and emotions created by vibrant interactive installations.
In an area that is generally recognized to offer only strictly regulated leisure, this all-night art-and-sound extravaganza was the first of its kind by the beach, drawing in a huge audience from all over the city.
With various pieces of media art, performances, music, and sculpture installations populating this historic area, one project truly stood out and kept pulling in an amazed audience throughout the night.
Primal Source installation by Usman Haque. A water fountain served as a huge screen, equipped with rear projection against the backdrop of the dark sky and ocean © Usman Haque © Photo Gantimur Meissner
Primal Source was the name of Usman Haque’s ebullient light and water installation, built with Processing and Pure Data. Situated at the beach, right next to the pier, a water fountain served as a huge screen, equipped with rear projection against the backdrop of the dark sky and ocean. The audience was not only there to watch this playful, visual illusion but moreover to participate actively. Voices and cries were recorded by microphones and then translated into alternating, mesmerizing patterns.
