Renowned Canadian artist and author Douglas Coupland will add a new work of global significance to Calgary?s vibrant public art scape. ?Northern Lights?, a 160,000 square foot LED-based art installation at the new TELUS Sky tower, will become the biggest public art piece in Calgary. TELUS Sky is set to be the third tallest building in the city?s skyline when it opens in early 2019. The north and south façades of the 60-storey mixed-use tower rising above 7th Avenue SW and Centre Street South will showcase the compelling installation, which will be programmable to change colour and lighting sequences.
Coupland, who is known for public art installations across Canada, including Vancouver’s ‘Digital Orca’, and Toronto’s ‘Four Seasons’, has created full-colour motion sequences with the lights that take advantage of TELUS Sky?s curved shape. Made up of 600 custom bulbs, the integrated LED lighting wraps around the window frames of the building to create ?pixels?, that together form an infinite number of patterns and colour displays. Northern Lights. Image via Westbank
Coinciding with the daily revolution of the earth, the signature Northern Lights sequence will begin at sunset and play for eleven minutes. To honour the Northern Lights phenomenon, fluid movements changing by the second with unexpected hits of colour, will scroll across the building. Interspersed between plays of the Northern Lights sequence will be one-minute Coupland-gener...