Urban Illuminations – Light Art Activating The Public Realm

How can contemporary light art installations impact the sensorial perception of the urban context to modify and reinterpret urban space? In Robert Irwin’s words, how can they provide “…an extended way of looking at the world”? In this paper, we examine how temporary light installations may impact the public realm by modifying citizens’ perceptions of moments in the city: a habitual urban passage is interrupted with a temporal experience, changing the way the urban space is experienced. We explore how site-specific light installations create unique intersections of audience and spatial perception through the artists’ intent of creating new urban atmospheres through an experiential layer added onto the urban fabric during light festivals. To do so we analyze and discuss two light installations that we designed and executed, which were shortlisted for the 2022 [d]arc awards. Both projects took part in larger urban light festivals and were located within urban passages. “Reflecting on Troy” [Author 1 - Troy Glow Light Festival] created a temporal light graffiti in an urban alley, while “Riddle 102” [Authors 2,3 - Nobel Week Lights], a dynamic lighting installation in a 231m pedestrian tunnel, created an immersive environment that alters the perception of the tunnel’s physical dimensions. Through reflections, as well as visitor and curator reviews, we unpack the intent and impact of the works on the perception of the urban context. We discuss and analyze the similarities and differences between the two urban settings, identify the design processes and principles pertinent to site-specific light installations [materials, lighting fixtures, testing] and address the impact darkness and over-lit spaces have over spatial perception. Lastly we discuss the impact a temporary light installation may have on the collective memory of the city, perceived in person or online.


INTRODUCTION
How can contemporary light art installations impact the sensorial perception of the urban context to modify and reinterpret urban space?In Robert Irwin's words, how can they provide "...an extended way of looking at the world" (1)?
Cities are places for heightened cultural production.Light art installations (LAI) use the city fabric itself as a canvas for temporary art to unfold, producing art that is truly public.One does not choose to interact with the art; it temporarily occupies the public realm by modifying citizens´ perceptions of moments in the city: A habitual urban passage is interrupted with a temporal encounter, changing the way the urban space is experienced.We explore two different site-specific LAIs taking place in two light festivals: "Reflecting on Troy" (project 1) and "Riddle 102" (project 2).We analyze and compare 1320 (2024) 012012 IOP Publishing doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1320/1/012012 2 the installations and see how each installation creates a unique intersection of audience and spatial perception via the artist's intent of creating new urban atmospheres through an experiential layer added onto the urban fabric.

Light Festivals
Light festivals have become popular throughout the globe in the past few decades.This development is attributed largely to the development of new lighting technologies such as 3D projection mapping, LED light sources, controls, and automation (2).They are increasingly globalized; at times itinerant works go from one festival to the next, which makes them less site specific (e.g., from Nobel Week Lights 2021, to Nordic Bridges 2022, to Allt Ljus på Uppsala 2022).This approach enhances the potential that light art has as a desirable public object in the urban realm.It is difficult to precisely assess how many light festivals are active around the globe, although it is clear they are present in all five continents.Light festivals may mark a specific event in the urban space and allow for a celebratory transformation of the city in different durations.They also serve as an economic driver to boost tourism, support commerce and establish a reputation for the city (2).This commercialization and globalization has also, as Tim Edensor surveys (3), drawn criticism: fear of replacing cultural substance with spectacle (4), increasing inequities (5), and billing the urban festival experience as another product for consumption (6).This criticism is apt.Yet as Edensor observes, light festivals also have the potential to stimulate critical awareness of perception and sense of space, as well as recall forgotten histories (3).Therefore, some light festivals organizers show interest to expand the experience beyond boundaries; light festival artists' briefs ask for LAI that possess the capacity to revitalize spaces, transform the perceptions of citizens and visitors, and foster a positive influence within communities.Whether in one city or another, LAI could be works that grace landscapes internationally (7).They are ground for experimentation and for innovation (3).These last thoughts align with the idea and importance of producing site specific LAI.

Troy Glow Light Festival
The Troy Glow Light Festival (Troy Glow) was a five-week public art light festival in downtown Troy, brightening its streets during the darkest time of year through unique and thoughtful public art.The city of Troy is a small post-industrial city (population 50,000) located on the Hudson River, New York.Troy Glow was established in 2022 to invite people back to downtown Troy after two years of pandemic precautions by using art as a way to begin rebuilding the collective space of the city (8).The festival featured six light-based, outdoor art installations created by regional artists, as well as eight partner organizations' unique light displays.The pieces were located within walking distance of one another.Throughout the festival run, there were guided tours as well as additional events to draw people to the festival.Free to all, the festival has also become part of the Troy urban fabric, and was observed by visitors, residents and passers-by.The festival was organized by the Arts Center of the Capital Region, Troy Cultural Alliance and Rensselaer County Chamber of Commerce, and financed by a grant from Empire State Development and I LOVE NY/New York State's Division of Tourism through the Regional Economic Development Council initiative.

Nobel Week Lights
Established in 2020, Nobel Week lights [NWL] is an annual light festival at Stockholm city center, Sweden during the Nobel Week [beginning of December].During a span of ten days, local and international artists and designers share their artistic light installations with approximately 350,000 visitors each year.On 2021, twenty installations were opened to the public at a portion of Stockholm city centre.LAI were encountered as citizens roamed the city or accompanied guided tours.The festival invites citizens and visitors to explore the city during the Nordic dark season by encouraging new insights about Nobel Laureates and their research, lives and discoveries.Nobel Week Lights is presented by the Nobel Prize Museum with support from the City of Stockholm, the Erling-Persson Foundation, the Knut och Alice Wallenberg's foundation and Stockholm's Chamber of Commerce, as well as numerous other partners and artistic lighting companies (9).

The role of light in creating an atmosphere
A light installation is an art form that allows for a significant and palpable effect on a space with minimal material means.As Canepa describes, "atmosphere is a complex phenomenon because it is invisible, intangible, and elusive, without physical limits, unstable, instinctive, highly subjective, and often described through metaphors."(10).Light is one component of an atmosphere, and it is a key ingredient in humans' spatial perception.As Robert Irwin explains, an artist may extend the perception of his viewers to see the world in a new way (1).Thus immersive light art is a unique art form, using light as a temporal medium that affects how our surroundings are perceived.To see, experience and be immersed in these public light installations is an exercise of embodiment, as Maurice Merleau-Ponty argues in reference to art: "I do not see it according to its exterior envelope; I live it from the inside, I am immersed in it.After all, the world is around me, not in front of me." (11).

Temporality and Time
Temporality and time play a significant role in LAI.Light festivals are temporary moments in the time of the city.While Troy Glow was a five-week celebration throughout the Christmas and New Year's holiday season, NWL is a ten-day long light festival demarcating and celebrating Nobel.Both festivals took place during the winter, a time of year that has short days and extended night hours.Troy Glow, located in Troy, NY experienced approximately 9 hours of daylight, and 15 hours of darkness, while NWL, located in Stockholm, had approximately 6.5 hours of daylight, and long nights of 17.5 hours.The installations were programmed for specific hours, 16.00-23.00.
Another aspect of temporality in these events were the duration of the visitor stay in each LAI.The location of each work within the flow of the city provides for different uses and interactions of the site.Project 1 in Troy Glow is an urban intersection where the passer-by may choose to interact, stay or pass an open, unbounded public space.Conversely, Project 2 in NWL is an urban, enclosed linear passagean experience that contains not only a duration of time required to traverse it but also features an entrance and an exit (see Figure 1).Temporality is also understood as the duration of impact the light installation has on the citizens, not only the time they were immersed in the installation, but also how long they carry the memory of the experience with them.As Juhani Pallasmaa explains; "all experience implies the acts of recollecting, remembering and comparing.An embodied memory has an essential role as the basis of remembering a space or a place," and that "we identify ourselves in space as space becomes part of our very existence" (12).

Activating the Public Realm
"Activating the public realm'' refers to the process of making public spaces more vibrant, engaging, and versatile.This activation involves changes to the physical environment, as well as events or activities that encourage more diverse use of the space.An artistic light intervention could potentially promote this diversity of use; through it the public space is activated, providing a temporal variety from daytime to night-time for an array of needs and interests (13).The regular programming of lighting festivals can help attract people to a public space and encourage them to move along the different interventions throughout the city, hence adding to its activities.Engaging the public realm calls for a sustainable and responsible approach-an approach which could manifest through universal access to the space of the intervention, welcoming all different cultural and social groups.One where the experience of the space should feel safe and comfortable, which can involve considerations of lighting, sightlines, and availability to move safely in space.And where the community engaged in the design by involving local artists who help ensure the space meets the needs and desires of the people who use it.In our view, light festivals, and, in particular, site specific LAI can be a tool for the creation of Tactical Urbanism for the benefit of the citizens and the activation of the public realm.Both presented cases use Tactical Urbanism -enacting low-cost temporary change on the built environment -to generate a particular impact in the public space, with the ultimate goal of inspiring a long-term evolution of the public space that could change perceptions, behaviours, and the uses of space.Activation of the public realm may not be connected only to organized activities, but to the experience itself.As Edensor proposed, the light installation may 'defamiliarize' a viewer because "light possesses a particularly rich capacity to defamiliarize familiar places, transforming what is well known into an uncanny realm and thereby suggesting that place may be apprehended otherwise."(3).The visitor thus is allowed to experience a known space in a new way, extending the experience and memory of the city.Kevin Lynch´s concept of imageability ( 14) of the physical public realm hinges on qualities or attributes that assist in forming a mental representation of the city, creating a memorable imprint.The lighting scheme provided by the LAI supports certain legibility and visibility.It can render an environment distinct and noteworthy, captivating both the eye (as seen in project 1 & 2) and ear (as in project 2), promoting heightened awareness and engagement.Through the temporary LAI, citizens experience a novel sensory impact, differing from their daily encounters.As Lynch suggests, imageability is a mutual process between the observer and the observed.The city's image can be enhanced through symbolic devices or light effects, which can concurrently influence perceptions of the surroundings.

METHODOLOGY
The objective is to understand how interventions in the urban landscape influence the behavior and perceptions of urban dwellers by adding experiential layers to city fabric.1. Project Overview: Constraints Analysis: Evaluate initial limitations set upon the intervention.Site Selection Review: Understand the criteria behind site choices.Design Process Examination: Delve into the design process and key decisions.Intentional Analysis: Discuss the primary objectives and motivations of the designers.2. Data Collection: First-Person Observations: Document spatial and atmospheric properties of the intervention spaces.Record behaviors and reactions of spectators within the environment.Third-Person Feedback: Gather testimonies from spectators about their experiences and impressions.Collect insights from curators regarding the impact of the intervention on the urban setting.3. Data Assessment: Assess changes in duration of stay, activities undertaken, and engagement levels within the intervention spaces.Movement Metrics: Observe if there's a change in the speed of movement through passages or intersections.Note any altered patterns or behaviors due to the intervention.4. Synthesis and Interpretation: Urban Experience Transformation: Evaluate how the intervention modifies the typical urban experience by adding layers of meaning and activity.Behavioral Impact Assessment: Determine if and how viewers' interactions with space change once the intervention is introduced.
Synthesis of the different aspects of the methodology provided insights into whether interventions significantly activate the public realm and influence urban dweller behavior and perceptions.Specifically, discern if there's an evident change in speed, overall behavior, and attention due to the intervention.

Project descriptions Brief and Designer approach
The two light installations that are analysed in this investigation were designed and executed by the authors and were shortlisted for the 2022 [d]arc awards-art category/ low budget.Both projects took part in larger urban events [Troy Glow and NWL] and were located within urban passages.

"Reflecting on Troy" [Project 1]
"Reflecting on Troy" (Project 1-in Troy Glow) was a light installation that was selected, commissioned, produced, and funded by the Arts Center of the Capital Region through the inaugural Troy Glow Light Festival 2022 (see Figure 2).The curators of the Troy Glow Light Festival selected the presented art works through a two stage competition that referred to the City of Troy Master Plan and to the civic importance of public art.The projects were asked to celebrate Troy, creating site-specific, high-level art work that would interact with its environment and celebrate this time in the city.The initial prompt called for a concept that would be flexible to adapt to multiple site typologies."Reflecting on Troy"'s response to the brief was to take the principle of projecting data from Troy's industrial past and translating it into light, adding a new, unexpected layer onto the city.In its final iteration "Reflecting on Troy" cast an analogue animation in reflective light onto the back facade of one of Troy, New York's most beloved historic buildings.

"Riddle 102" [Project 2]
"Riddle 102" (Project 2) was an installation in NWL, created by two of the authors, who are lighting designers and educators.The project was located in Brunkeberg tunnel, a 231-meters-long enclosed interconnection of two of the most central and busy districts of Stockholm [Stureplan and Hötorget].The designers were invited to participate with the additional value that their students would engage in the mounting of the on-site installation on a voluntary basis.The choice of place was paramount to the installation: pedestrian-and cyclist-only tunnel is frequently used and represented a relevant space within Stockholm's urban fabric.With a carte blanche as a project brief, the designers used Alfred Nobel and the Nobel Prize-awarded discoveries and Nobel Laureates as inspiration.This initiative was adopted by the subsequent editions of the festival and became the theme for the artists and designers participating at the following NWL.
Conceptually, "Riddle 102" captured the binomial character of Alfred Nobel.On one hand, his scientific knowledge and creation of numerous inventions such as Patent 102 (Dynamite), and on the other, his artistic expressions of writing poems, such as "The Riddle."It also captured the two different construction tunnelling techniques [freezing and blasting] used at the construction of Brunkeberg tunnel back in 1866.The existing static lighting scheme was adapted to fit the theme and the concept of the project (see Figure 3).It was complemented with layers of dynamic lighting, coloured gels, fabric material and sound.The designers used Richard Kelly´s three light tenets so that the installation divided the tunnel into three segments/ scenes.The two main sections with blue and red ambient light [freezing and blasting technique respectively] were separated by the white illuminated core of the tunnel (see Figure 4).There, the diffused and the reflected light of the existing fixtures created a spatial riddle, a moment/pause preparing the citizen to immerse into the next portion of the tunnel.Lastly, an added DMX controlled dynamic iColorFlex with a 1min 50sec sequence, looped endlessly along all segments, enhancing their perceptual connection.The journey through the tunnel from one end to the other is approximately a three-minute walk or one-minute cycle ride, allowing different speeds and experiences.Thus, the commonly perceived yellow tunnel was transformed into the blue and red experience -an immersive environment that altered the perception of the tunnel's physical dimensions and time perception.

Site and process:
Both sites were located in an urban passage, but experienced very differently: while one is experienced as a point at an urban intersection, the other is perceived as a linear experience (see Figure 1).
There was a difference in approach on how the organizers of both festivals requested the artists to tackle the site-specific light installation.The Troy Glow selection committee was interested in site flexibility during the siting process and asked that the different artists submit flexible proposals that could be adapted to provide multiple settings."Reflecting on Troy" was developed through a series of site alternatives, from an interior back projection, to a wall projection, to a projection in an alley utilizing both alley walls (See Figure 5).Once the artists were selected, they worked together with the festival curators in an intense testing period to develop the project through: identifying and securing the best site, specifying a light source that would provide a crisp light drawing and could compete with the site's existing urban lighting, and finally installing the project on site (see Figure 6).The two designers for "Riddle 102" used an extensive creative process involving site selection, theme definition, site analysis, concept, and lighting schedule.Additionally, equipment selection and definition of the control strategy and scenarios were discussed together with the programmer collaborator.Their architectural lighting design master students were of great support in mounting the installation.This installation served not only as an educational activity, but also provided experience in a real, functional project as well.In parallel, another collaborative creative process involved two sound specialists, who together with their students at Konstfack [University of Arts, Crafts and Design], developed the installation's soundscape using only the schematic control scheme with time and rhythm of light.The layering of both dimensions, light and sound, were in synchronicity, confirming that the result was bigger than the sum of its parts (see Figure 7).

"Reflecting on Troy" [Project 1]
The final site for "Reflecting on Troy" was at the intersection of Franklin Alley and State Street in downtown Troy: reflectors were attached to rear windows on one side of the alley and projected textures onto the Troy Music Hall back facades on the other side (see section Figure 8).The light source was placed within the Troy Music Hall backstage area.The location at an urban passageway was one that people would frequent as a destination within the festival or as part of their urban routines.As such, it did not inherently solicit a pause or a stay.One programmatic exception was that this site was used as a habitual smoking corner for the neighbouring "Franklin Alley Social Club"'s patrons who spent their smoking breaks viewing an unexpected light art element.Such a break provides a unique opportunity to view a public art work, with the desired duration of smoking a cigarette.
Activating the public realm could be seen in subtle behaviour changes in the way one spends their smoking break or experiences a known urban space.A walk home is changed through an event that one passes through, either intentionally or accidentally finding and stopping to observe and decipher.
Figure 8 -"Reflecting on Troy" section.This is evident in three different testimonies: "I slowed down my pace as I approached the alleyway.I made a conscious decision to stay and pause, something I rarely do while walking alone in the dark through downtown.However, this pause felt safe, even though there was no one else around me. Being able to be immersed in the way the brick and cement facades of the building changed, noticing subtleties of literal brick and mortar interacting with moving light became an immersive meditative experience."(Interview Anonymous Troy Citizen testimony August 7, 2023).
"The installation "Reflecting on Troy" reminded me how important public art is by presenting my family with an urgent and interactive set of fundamental questions that stimulated and caused us to marvel.Such as: WHAT is this?WHERE is it coming from?And, HOW was it made?Unlike art that is framed and housed in traditional ways, "Reflecting on Troy" 'met' us during a spontaneous dark-night stroll, and provoked both intense curiosity, and an invitation to a reckoning of the abstract, both uniquely engaging feelings not encountered nearly enough!It was both an exquisite and whimsical encounter that we revisited numerous times, and is still etched in the imagination of the brick alley where it once danced."(Elizabeth Woodberry Cassius testimony June 20, 2023).
"The installation insisted viewers explore the urban environment in a novel way.A grungy alleyway was transformed by ephemeral, dancing light.The installation was surprisingly simple in concept and construction, but created an otherworldly effect.Unlike a static projection the instability of the image created the illusion of animation, bringing the organic shapes to life.Curious viewers were rewarded by discovering the mechanics of the projection, a slowly rotating, dimpled surface reflecting a single reflector" (Troy Glow Curator Judie Gilmore testimony Aug 3, 2023).
In addition to planned tours and festival events, the space was also used for other spontaneous activities such as a photoshoot backdrop (see figure10).Both planned and unplanned uses created an activity that does not typically take place in this location.The testimonies above speak of the viewer's engagement through the puzzle of deciphering the installation.Its simultaneous simplicity of structure and system, versus its complex spatial effect generate a moment of viewer engagement.The project added light to existing light levels, but in a relatively dark passage created a shimmering experience where no event existed before.

"Riddle 102" [Project 2]
As mentioned previously, "Riddle 102" was located in a pedestrian/cyclists tunnel, a 231m long vault under the central neighbourhood of Norrmalm in Stockholm.The tunnel's existing material and construction details impacted the results and hence the user's spatial perception.The existing materials consisted of exposed natural rock covered with corrugated white matte metal on one half of the tunnel [red segment], while the other half was covered with highly reflective specular metallic sheets [blue segment] (see Figure 9).These materials affected the light conditions differently, contributing to the perceived difference in brightness levels between the two segments as "the blue light area is perceived of as much darker and harder to see in than the red light area despite similar lux measurements."(15).Similarly, Lara Szabo Greisman, NWL curator, mentioned at her interview that "[...] some found that the blue section was too dark and that they felt there were some security concerns."(NWL curator Lara Szabo Greisman testimony June 4, 2023) Figure 9 -"Riddle 102" section and plan of the three segments (blue, white, red).
The walls of the tunnel are fully covered with corrugated yellow metal sheets, which was taken into consideration when selecting filters/hue and avoiding the yellow tone.The existing yellow metal cladding was interrupted in some parts in the middle of the tunnel, where the natural rock was left exposed, only protected by a metallic open grid.These exposed segments were illuminated in white light and constituted the central core segment, creating a site specific division of the tunnel.It is interesting to note that the dimensions of the two long segments [blue and red] were interpreted differently according to the survey conducted on-site by the students.It was found that there was a tendency "to perceive the first area (red or blue) crossed as the longest one" ( 16) despite the objective length, light colour or perceived brightness.According to this, the core segment/white part worked as a IOP Publishing doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1320/1/01201210 focus point."[...] the brightness of white light, which, in the middle of the tunnel, acted as a visual objective for people walking through."(16).The students considered Michel Lou's visual objective definition "not only direct paths of movement but relays significant distance clues for awareness of walking or driving times" (17).As the students articulated, this finding suggests that "people with a bright visual element on their path were more focused on the walk that they [were] taking, while on the contrary, once they passed the 'attraction point', they possibly walked with lower attention paid to the surroundings."(16).
Apart from the festival visitors, the majority of the users were citizens during their everyday commute -by foot or bicycle -and had no other choice but to be immersed in this installation.The non-stop linear flow of people set the principles for the creation of three segments/characteristic atmospheres, where dynamic light and an expressive soundscape accompanied the traveller, making this installation a multisensory experience [light-sound-movement].This experience potentially transforms the relationship to site, how it is remembered and discussed, as a testimony noted "The installation made me relate to the tunnel in a different way -it was not an anonymous space anymore, as it gained some context for me, something to remember and to relate to.Afterwards in my podcast, for example, that tunnel came up a few times, which made me realise that there is even more value in temporary projects like this -they become a topic for discussion."(Interview Anonymous Stockholm Citizen testimony August 14, 2023).

Can LAI have a sustainable impact on the public Realm?
Art installations in the public realm have a social responsibility as they have the capacity to create a fundamental traction between the citizen and the urban setting.This social component aids to sustain the ability of the citizens to embody the city and promote social cohesion.This responsibility relies on ensuring the use of the public space for future generations.Using the three pillars of sustainable development, both light installations aimed to address the social component on a higher level while still incorporating aspects of Ecology and Economy.Ecological and economical considerations are placed into the aforementioned temporality, where minimal material resources are used without removing or discarding any existing installation, as well as not procuring new equipment as the used one has been on loan.Likewise, the use of energy and running costs of a temporary installation are, by nature, finite, with no burden to municipality and taxpayers.Light pollution and light trespass are not an issue: "Reflecting on Troy" offers a controlled lighting effect on carefully studied surfaces, while "Riddle 102" is an enclosed space.The social human aspect of the light installations reside in the collective memory of those who have experienced the installations.The identification or even rejection of the temporal light installation promotes discussion among the public of the current values or missing aspects in their own city (as is evident in the above testimony).Either by transporting the citizen to an imaginarium or by highlighting architectural features and effects, the spatial configuration of both sites have been transformed through light.The power of light, as intangible as it is, has the ability to change the expression and atmosphere of a place: from daytime, where the true undressed space is visible with no lighting effects but natural daylight, to a nocturnal space, where light dresses up to accompany the citizen.

How does activating the public realm transform the city in collective memory?
A city is a complex organism that provides both physical and social organization of material, people and events.As seen from recollected testimonies, the installations have left a mark on their visitors that last beyond the experienced durations; once an event is activating the public realm it remains in the collective memory of the visitors.These moments spent in an atmospheric event layered on urban space are adding to how the city spaces may be recalled.The installation may be missed or added to the catalogue of what makes a city an intersection of life and culture.

What is the impact of the online urban presence on the perception of the public realm?
For millennia people have used mnemonic devices to recall the past (18).There are certain aspects of a city that we can only experience physically.However, because of our increased online presence, an alternate, virtual image of our experiences can be shared beyond the local community (see Figure 10, Figure 11).As both projects were shortlisted to the [d]arc award, they were exposed to global viewing and voting.This reach (19) makes one wonder what are the limits of how a public realm is experienced.This virtual way of experiencing the public realm goes through a process of image selection, editing and selected photographic methods.For example, the projects can be "experienced" differently with a drone than in a moving, breathing, sensing body.Our cities extend, through the light of our photographs, allowing us to communicate a spatial experience remotely to our viewers and peers.

CONCLUSION
As designers and educators, we find it is important to explore how light may activate our cities and impact how they are perceived and remembered.We do not design only for "now" but for the collective memories of the city as well.Our actions in physical space impact not only our corporeal environment, but also our virtual one.Since light festivals are temporary and repeating events that act as a testing ground in the body of the city, each city can be imagined and reimagined anew adding to the palimpsest of how a city is recalled.Likened to Freud's subconscious unfolded through the unedited physical history of Rome (20).A city may be seen as a multi-layered entity.Thus, one city can also have multiple faces.As Calvino imagines Venice as numerous cities in invisible cities (21).Similarly, different installations, at the same place may, if successful, exist simultaneously in the collective memory and add layers to the identity and perception of a city.

Figure 1 -
Figure 1-The sites of the installations demarcated as point (Project 1) and line (Project 2) due to their spatial qualities.
The animation is created by shining a high-powered, directional light onto two rotating reflective disks on the other side of an urban alley.The disk's surfaces are etched with Troy-inspired artifacts (drawings of the Burden Iron Works water wheel and Troy's topography) to create spatial light drawings onto the textures of the urban fabric.At the end of the project all materials and equipment were either recycled or re-used in different contexts thus maintaining a sustainable material use.The project was awarded the second place [d]arc award in the art-low budget category.

Figure 2 -
Figure 2 -"Reflecting on Troy".Installation on site (a); Installation with urban context (b) and the urban context without installation (c).
The project was funded by the Nobel Week Lights organization, the Royal Institute of Technology and technically supported by Signify and Stockholm lighting.The installation of complementary lighting fixtures and materials was supported by KTH students in lighting design as part of their educational experience.After dismantling, most of the materials were kept as students' lab materials.It was awarded the fifth place [d]arc award in the art-low budget category.

Figure 6 -
Figure 6 -"Reflecting on Troy" tests of different sites, light sources and installation.