Sensing YOU and Sensing WATER
San Jose
Santa Clara Street at Highway 87 parking lot

source: dancorson
ensing YOU is an interactive artwork utilizing light and paint to define a major downtown gateway in San Jose CA. The installation is defined by over 1000 painted circles and 81 individually controlled illuminated rings that play a variety of patterns and low-resolution mapped video over the ceiling surface of the I-87 highway underpass. The patterns are activated by pedestrians and bicyclists moving through the space- setting off pre-programmed sequences.
In addition, we have partnered with Niantic Labs to allow users of the virtual real-world mobile game Ingress to temporarily take control of the space and making manifest in the artwork aspects of the game from their cell phones. Inspired by raindrops on water and the echoing patterns emitting from our cell phones, this artwork seeks to link technology and nature in this urban landscape sitting over the Guadalupe River- at the heart of Silicon Valley.
In addition, we have partnered with Niantic Labs to allow users of the virtual real-world mobile game Ingress to temporarily take control of the space and making manifest in the artwork aspects of the game from their cell phones. Inspired by raindrops on water and the echoing patterns emitting from our cell phones, this artwork seeks to link technology and nature in this urban landscape sitting over the Guadalupe River- at the heart of Silicon Valley.
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source: dancorson
My Artwork blurs the boundaries between Fine Art, Theatrical Design, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Science and sometimes even Magic. My projects have ranged from complex rail stations and busy public intersections to quiet interpretive buildings, meditation chambers and galleries. With a Masters Degree in Art from the University of Washington and a BA in Theatrical Design from San Diego State University, my work is infused with drama, passion, layered meanings and often engages the public as co-creators within my environments.

I strive for my work to both conceptually and phenomenologically engage the viewer on various levels. The physical space the artwork inhabits is almost always part of the equation….an added voice to the project that provides additional history, layers and meaning. Whether that site is within nature, an urban environment or a highly refined gallery there is always added experience of the place.

Another part of the equation is the viewer/ participant. Originally trained in the theatre, I see the artwork not just about objects at a location, but as volumes of space to manipulate and about the relationships and choreography between the environment and the viewer/participant. It is also about the hierarchy of experience, what is seen and experienced in what order. How does time and the movement of people or the artwork vary the perception of the piece?

And then there is me; the artist, provocateur, scientist, and magician that loves to reveal or find that point of transformation of knowledge or perception. Each project tells a different story.

I perhaps am best known for working with light in its myriad of forms- creating environments that radically transform from day to night. But my work goes beyond seductive eye-candy, raising questions, probing the subconscious and engaging phenomenological experiences. The content, media and breadth of the work is wide, but I feel there is a solitary vision and rigorous conceptual underpinnings that unify the work.
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source: designboom
dan corson transforms dreary underpasses into interactive gateways in san jose

located within the core of downtown san josé in california, dan corson has transformed two dreary underpasses by turning them into bright, cheerful, and interactive urban experiences. the two illuminated art pieces called ‘sensing YOU’ and ‘sensing WATER’ utilize paint, light, and interactive technology, and together they create a dynamic awareness of the city’s downtown. the gateway route is used by commuters, residents, and visitors daily.

the project is composed of over 1.000 painted rings and 81 individually controlled LED dimensional halos that respond to motion sensors targeted to pedestrian walking areas and bike lanes. from a car safety perspective, the lighting animations are designed to be slow enough so the average car will not see any movement when driving past, but that while walking through or pausing, the movement will be highly discernible.

in the highway 87 underpass at santa clara street, ‘sensing YOU’ is a collection of light rings that create a wide array of colors and patterns, except for red, green or yellow, the common traffic colors. the lights change in response to pedestrian and bicycle traffic under the highway. the light patterns change just by passing through it. the project is also integrated with an online smartphone game called ‘ingress’.

on the other hand, ‘sensing WATER’ utilizes paint and projected lighting that resembles flowing water and the aurora borealis. this piece is influenced by real-time changes in the weather and wind that affect the guadalupe river. this river flows under the highway at this junction. the light artwork accesses live data from the NOAA website which provides the patterning for the nightly projections.