Join BRAF 2013 Grantee project Silent Lights in celebrating the unveiling of their work.

Invitation to the Opening Celebration for 2013 Grantee Silent Lights.

Silent Lights is a series of sculptural gates that line a pedestrian pathway under the Brooklyn Queens Expressway. The gates are embedded with light and sound equipment: 2,400 LEDs and a microphone, controlled by an arduino mega microcontroller. The installation uses these to respond to sounds from the street and transform it into beautiful light patterns. The light enhances this ordinary often overlooked public right-of-way, creating a playful, inviting, memorable space. It is also an attempt to revitalize some of the city’s millions of underutilized square feet of space under the New York street bridges and expressways.

Silent Lights is an example of democratic design. It is a project made possible by people like yourselves, created for the people of New York City to enjoy at no cost, designed pro bono by us. The project took over two years to come to fruition and helped us transition into a design studio we now call Urban Matter Inc.

Silent Lights was supported by DOT Urban Arts Program, Artplace America, Black Rock Foundation, Brooklyn Arts Council, Awesome Foundation, Designers Lighting Forum of New York, Red Hook Initiative and the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership for their support. Their core team is comprised of Michelle Brick, Aaron Campbell, Brett Burton, Mike Kelberman, David Isley and David Rife.