The Windmill Factory’s Reflecting the Stars – Recreating The Night Sky in The Hudson River

August 30, 2011	to	September 4, 2011
September 5, 2011	to	September 11, 2011
September 12, 2011	to	September 18, 2011
September 15, 2011
September 26, 2011	to	October 2, 2011
October 3, 2011	to	October 9, 2011
October 10, 2011	to	October 16, 2011
October 17, 2011	to	October 23, 2011
October 24, 2011	to	October 25, 2011

 

 

The Windmill Factory’s Reflecting the Stars – Recreating The Night Sky in The Hudson River

August 30 – October 25, 2011.
Daily from sunset to midnight.

Pier 49 – Hudson River Park (at Bank Street). Free.

 

Special Events:
  -August 30: Sunset Launch w/ NY State Assembly member Linda Rosenthal, Charles Renfro (DS+R)
  -September 19 – 26: Part of Climate Week Events, TBA
  -DATE TBD: On Site Telescope Star Gazing with Astronomers

Reflecting the Stars uses wirelessly controlled solar-powered LED lamps to recreate our night sky on the decaying posts of Pier 49 in the Hudson River at Bank Street in Manhattan. The project is free to the public and will be a featured highlight of NYC Climate Week.
 
Nightly, a set of 201 lights will twinkle in various patterns as the tides conceal and reveal the lights. Visitors on shore can press buttons which highlight constellations that are no longer seen in urban centers because of air and light pollution.
 
Reflecting the Stars was created by Jon Morris, who grew up in a small town in Kentucky star-gazing on Lake Cumberland.
 
“We hope to not only give the viewer a sublime moment of reflection but also raise their awareness about our disappearing night sky,” said Morris, founder and artistic director of The Windmill Factory art collective. “This combination will motivate people to turn off lights at home, ask their offices to put lights on timers, and perhaps even help influence public lighting policy.”
 
To avoid disturbing the fish hatcheries under the pier posts, a method of controlling solar-powered LEDs with radio waves was conceived and designed by Rich Schwab and Andy Baker of TK firm/collective, Kontraptioneering.  The system was programmed and fine-tuned by Google Software Engineer Adam Berenzweig, with interns from MIT and NYU’s Interactive Technology Program, and numerous consultants including Charles Renfro from Diller Scofidio + Renfro.
 
Steel pipe caps were chosen for the casing of the lights, which rust within days of installation to match the natural decay of the once-bustling transportation pier. The contrast of new technology encased in a rusting shell mirrors our species’ race for advancement that is changing the climate, melting our glaciers, and leaving us at a global crossroads. The installation will be a site of celebrations, protests, and other convergences.
 
Known for interactive multi-disciplinary work, The Windmill Factory makes its NYC debut with Reflecting the Stars. The project was funded in many ways including micro-donations to dedicate stars on an interactive website. Dedications canstill be made atwww.thewindmillfactory.com.
 
Light pollution obscures the stars and, like any other form of pollution, disrupts ecosystems and has adverse health effects.  As we lose our view of the universe we perhaps lose our place in the world, our perspective of being part of a solar system.  Without this macrocosmic perspective it is arguably easier to stop taking care of our surroundings and our planet.

About The Windmill Factory:
The Windmill Factory’s mission is to spark sublime moments through art. We want people to laugh, be moved, and interact with art that fosters social or environmental change.www.thewindmillfactory.com

 

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