Wheels of light - Bright Brussels installation
A data-driven installation visualizing the growing amount of cyclists in Brussels, Belgium
Bike for Brussels (an organization concerned with the infrastructure and rights of cyclists in Brussels, part of Brussels Mobility) asked us to show the growth of the amount of cyclists in Brussels in the last four years. We gathered the data, and created a light installation showing the difference in cycling activity through the years and months.
Every pole represents an actual counting installation in Brussels. Each of the four rings' dimensions corresponds to the total amount of cyclists that year (2019 in the bottom up to 2022). The top of the pole has a fifth ring reacting to real time detections during the event.
The installation played sequences of four minutes, displaying the counted cyclists at that time of the year, grouped by thousands on a monthly basis. This way, the audience could explore the difference in activity between the years, and between the seasons. The overall color of the installation changed depending on the currently displayed season, while white dots traveling along the rings represented the cyclists.
The entire piece was accompanied by a custom soundscape, reflecting the amount of cyclists. The more people took their bikes, the less car sounds are present in the audio.
When a cyclist was counted during the performance at the festival, a bell sound notified the audience, and a visual effect highlighted the representative pole where the counting happened.
This project was made by CTRL + ALT, Creating installations with data, sound and light.
