These days, when Atlanta-based artist Eddie Farr sees a flock of birds high in the sky merging into formation, or the ripples of a pebble thrown in a pond, or the swirl of a floating leaf in the breeze, he sees data points he can use in his electronic art. The sharp-minded, tech-savvy artist utilizes large data sets to program LED lights, which he then embeds into structures.
Take, for example, a recent work Farr created based on the Ray Bradbury short story “There Will Come Soft Rains.” The piece emulated water drops sliding down a surface. To create the data set, Farr dropped water on an angled surface, recorded the time and distance it would go based on its viscosity, then used the information to program a set of lights in sequence so that it looked like a raindrop falling.
“That was custom circuitry I had to make,” Farr said. “I did a lot of pseudo math to figure out actually how long each light should stay on to give the impression of water actually sliding down a surface.”
In another work titled “Longleaf,” Farr utilized data about the destruction of longleaf pine forests in North America to program a structure of lights. Each point of light represented acreage that once existed. The complexity of the light activity across the web diminished to reflect the loss of longleaf ecosystems.
Credit: Brock Scott
Credit: Brock Scott
While conceiving of his most recent exhibition, “Radiant,” which opens tonight in Woodruff Park, Farr became fascinated with the flocking behaviors of birds. He decided to utilize data sets from flocks to create a similar movement and gesture in lit structures.
“Taking that idea of just organic movement and implementing it into a physical sculpture is really, visually, what I was excited about for this project,” Farr said about “Radiant.”
For “Radiant,” Farr first built a series of structures from PEX tubing.
“We ended up going with a conical shape. … The actual individual pieces remind me of wind currents. The sculpture is very curvy and loopy,” Farr said.
Then, inside the PEX tubing, Farr embedded a sequence of lights. The lights are programmed by a massive set of data from nature that lasts about 3.5 hours before it repeats. The system that runs the lights is more complex than meets the eye.
“A leader computer [at the base of each sculpture] is doing the calculations and then sending that data to the [light] receivers and then they translate that to the lighting,” Farr said. “So it’s a whole network setup in there, which was a very big learning curve.”
The result, Farr hopes, will elicit a sense of tranquillity and reflection.
“Maybe some introspection around themselves, about their life, what’s happening in their world right now,” Farr said. “That’s sort of an overall theme of my piece, not this piece, but my work [in general], is getting people to slow down.”
Visitors to the installation on its opening night Dec. 5 will get an elevated experience with accompanying dance and music. Farr collaborated with Dan Carey Bailey, a contemporary composer and multi-instrumentalist, to synchronize the symphony of lights to sound; and Nadya Zeitlin, a dance choreographer and founder of Bautanzt Here, an Atlanta-based site-specific dance theater company.
“Dan came down to the studio a few times and watched the lights do their thing. And I think that really informed [his music]. There’s a constant undertone in his composition, and then there are these flourishes that come out of it,” Farr said. “So, it’s similar in nature to the lighting motion that’s happening, and the movement that’s happening with Nadia’s group.”
While enjoying the opening night performances, guests to Woodruff Park will also get to sip hot chocolate and indulge in doughnuts by Moni’s.
“Radiant” was created in collaboration with Dashboard, a creative nonprofit cofounded in Atlanta known for producing transformative public art experiences. The installation is the fifth and final of 2024 in a rotating series of immersive art installations in Woodruff Park called Art in the Park.
Art in the Park is a public art initiative by The Atlanta Downtown Improvement District and Arts & Entertainment Atlanta designed to make art accessible, engaging and reflective of the city’s diverse community.
The Art in the Park series has “demonstrated success in transforming Woodruff Park into a vibrant destination,” said Noa Hecht, creative placemaking lead at ADID.
The first in the series, the “Millennial Pink” installation, launched in August and had 2,446 visits on opening day — a 351.5% increase over the park’s 2024 daily average. Throughout its three-week run, the installation attracted 25,540 total visits and averaged 1,064 visitors daily, representing a 96.4% increase compared to typical park attendance.
The “Taíno Night Glow” installation in October drew 1,777 visitors on opening day, marking a 203% increase over the year’s daily average, while the full installation period welcomed 29,046 total visitors — 71% above typical attendance levels. The third and fourth exhibition numbers were not yet given to the AJC.
“The numbers show the program’s growing influence in making Woodruff Park a destination,” Hecht said. “I think seeing the amount of people that are using the park now, and coming in and feeling more comfortable, is definitely helping push that [message] forward that public art makes a big difference in the way people engage with space.”
IF YOU GO
The “Radiant” opening night celebration will take place 4:30-6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5, at Woodruff Park, 91 Peachtree St. NW. “Radiant” will also be on display in Woodruff Park through mid-January. For more information visit AtlantaDowntown.com.
Another Farr exhibition is also ongoing from now until June 2025 at South River Art Studios. The exhibition, titled “The Color of the Horizon,” is installed inside an airstream trailer. Using public cameras from around the world, visitors can see a real-time visual of the daytime sky in locations around the globe. South River Art Studios is located at 1300 Fleetwood Drive SE.
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