dan corson transforms dreary underpasses into interactive gateways in san jose

dan corson transforms dreary underpasses into interactive gateways in san jose
(above) the major pedestrian underpass artworks unite light and technology together
all images courtesy of dan corson

located within the core of downtown san josé in california, dan corson has transformed two dreary underpasses by turning them into bright, cheerful, and interactive urban experiences. the two illuminated art pieces called ‘sensing YOU’ and ‘sensing WATER’ utilize paint, light, and interactive technology, and together they create a dynamic awareness of the city’s downtown. the gateway route is used by commuters, residents, and visitors daily.

the project is composed of over 1.000 painted rings and 81 individually controlled LED dimensional halos that respond to motion sensors targeted to pedestrian walking areas and bike lanes. from a car safety perspective, the lighting animations are designed to be slow enough so the average car will not see any movement when driving past, but that while walking through or pausing, the movement will be highly discernible.

‘sensing YOU’ changes patterns and colors just by walking – or bicycling – through it 

in the highway 87 underpass at santa clara street, ‘sensing YOU’ is a collection of light rings that create a wide array of colors and patterns, except for red, green or yellow, the common traffic colors. the lights change in response to pedestrian and bicycle traffic under the highway. the light patterns change just by passing through it. the project is also integrated with an online smartphone game called ‘ingress’.

video courtesy of dan corson

on the other hand, ‘sensing WATER’ utilizes paint and projected lighting that resembles flowing water and the aurora borealis. this piece is influenced by real-time changes in the weather and wind that affect the guadalupe river. this river flows under the highway at this junction. the light artwork accesses live data from the NOAA website which provides the patterning for the nightly projections.

‘sensing YOU’ is located at the highway 87 underpass at santa clara street

the project is composed of over 1000 painted rings and 81 individually controlled LED dimensional halos

the pattern originally referenced raindrops falling on still water as well as people moving through the underpass

from a car safety perspective, the lighting animations are programmed so that cars will not see any movement

the rings respond to motion sensors targeted to pedestrian walking areas and bike lanes

‘sensing WATER’ utilizes paint and projected lighting resembling flowing water and the aurora borealis

‘sensing WATER’ accesses live data from the NOAA website that provides the pattern for the nightly projections

a sloped surface gives a daytime expression of cascading water

the artwork is located over the culverized guadalupe river 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: juliana neira | designboom