The Starry Night underpass in south Boston was originally planned as a temporary public art installation, part of a Winter Solstice Public Art Series by local artists Lisa Greenfield and Daniel J. van Ackere. PhilipsCK LEDs are attached to the underside of the Summer Street overpass by heavy-duty binder clips, and are controlled remotely by a Pharos LPC X to make the stretch of road safer and brighten up the neighbourhood.
Last year, local residents and workers lobbied for the installation to be made permanent, and the Boston authorities have now agreed to make this a lasting feature of the area. The artists had recognised the limitations of the temporary project’s lighting components, and so applied for grants to research a more robust control solution. Pharos provided the ideal solution and has enabled the project to be designed for the long-term.
Pharos’s versatility in providing a fully networked and easily programmable control solution means that each individual light can be varied with the season and adjusted specifically for holidays and special events. The controller’s remote access capabilities enable control and access to the installation so changes to the lighting configurations can be made frequently to keep the public engaged.
The project is expected to interest drivers through the underpass for at least the next 10 years and the intuitiveness of the Pharos LPC X has produced some breath taking results. With over 2800 nodes and a full colour spectrum, Starry Night can be easily programmed to display constellations, shooting stars or fireworks as well as the continental blue of the Boston municipal flag.
