If by now you don't know the Olympic Games are starting on Friday in Vancouver, you probably live in a cave. Right now, journalists like to make fun of the city - some of them have even renamed the games "Spring Games". Yes, it's warm, it's sunny, perfect time to drink a cup of coffee outside in the sun and chat with a good friend. On Saturday, t-shirts were all you needed to sit outside. The funny thing is that most newcomers still walk around with their warm ski jackets and hats, as if they had prepared themselves to go to Winter Games so much that they were actually incapable of reacting to the true temperature of Vancouver. Last Friday, one of those guys was sitting next to me in the bus. In front of us, another big guy, wearing only a t-shirt and a pair of shorts.
But let's not talk sports right now... Parallel to the Games, there's an excellent Cultural Olympiad going on. And in the program, this Vectorial Elevation.
Last week, when R. and I were coming home, we noticed those bright lights moving haphazardly in the sky, wondering what on earth they could be. Was it the newest security trend? Or what? Yesterday evening, as i was browsing the net to make a list of the concerts I wanted to go to (and the schedule for the ice skating competitions, yes), I found the answer.
Vectorial Elevation is an interactive artwork, consisting of a series of huge searchlights facing each other on both shores of False Creek and English Bay. It was first created in Mexico, by the Canadian-Mexican artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer for the Millenium Celebrations and was also presented in different countries since then (in 2003, it was displayed in Lyon for the Fête des Lumières). And what's absolutely great about it is that it's fully interactive...
But let's not talk sports right now... Parallel to the Games, there's an excellent Cultural Olympiad going on. And in the program, this Vectorial Elevation.
Last week, when R. and I were coming home, we noticed those bright lights moving haphazardly in the sky, wondering what on earth they could be. Was it the newest security trend? Or what? Yesterday evening, as i was browsing the net to make a list of the concerts I wanted to go to (and the schedule for the ice skating competitions, yes), I found the answer.
Vectorial Elevation is an interactive artwork, consisting of a series of huge searchlights facing each other on both shores of False Creek and English Bay. It was first created in Mexico, by the Canadian-Mexican artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer for the Millenium Celebrations and was also presented in different countries since then (in 2003, it was displayed in Lyon for the Fête des Lumières). And what's absolutely great about it is that it's fully interactive...
Nothing easier: you just have to go online, from anywhere you want, and log on the website, here. Then you click on "participate" and little by little, you create your own design. Choose which lights you want to move, lower or higher. You can change the focus points, rotate and switch. On the right part of your screen, the preview (as in the picture above) allows you to see what the effects will be. Sign your name, dedicate it to a friend if you wish, and wait for your turn. I had to wait for 1 hour and 45 minutes before it showed up. And by that time I was asleep. But I'll definitely do one again - try it, it's quite addictive!
Once the design was created, I received an email redirecting me to my own webpage with those pictures. Everybody's page is visible, you can also follow the lights live...
Once the design was created, I received an email redirecting me to my own webpage with those pictures. Everybody's page is visible, you can also follow the lights live...
Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad
Vectorial Elevation, part of the CODE Cultural Olympiad Digital Edition
Cultural Olympiad
I like kung-fu films very much, and I'm able to show great patience even with the worst flicks of the genre. But, here, come on. The stereotyping af asian / african-americans was really hard to take, especially, since, you know, they get to be friends in the end. Or at least I think so. What was the end again? Oh, well.
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