Several buildings seem alive with big googly eyes. These personified architectures challenge the viewer and direct their gaze, while giving them the unsettling impression of being watched by a Big Brother-like presence. This ostensibly benign yet oppressive form evokes our ambiguous relationship with social networks in the era of surveillance capitalism. While entertaining content and endless emoji give such digital platforms a veneer of harmlessness, they capture our personal data to feed industries bent on controlling our behaviour.

Belgian neighbors, Benny Connings and Bernd Tyskens, gave an AI generator (DALL-E 2) the briefing of a light festival and asked the AI to generate the concept: an interesting and timely experiment.

Since the explosion of AI image generating tools light festivals have seen a dramatic increase in the number of AI generated images used as artist impressions in the open calls for concepts. Many of these text-to-image tools work via open text prompts which proceed to interpret the text into an image. That’s exactly what Benny & Bernd wanted to draw attention to. The artists, among other things, are experts in making organic light art sculptures using different semi transparent materials, like fiberglass.

From time to time during an especially frigid Winter, the tides of the Boston Harbor freeze over, and rumor has it, more than just boats can get trapped on shore. Left behind to wait until the spring thaw, this particular traveler followed a long forgotten colonial waterway that still runs beneath the streets of the historic Hub. After one too many close calls with the T, he’s emerged from the underground depths and surfaced in the heart of the city. While the intersection of Washington and Bromfield was a bit more crowded than he’d hoped, he’s making due with his new home high above the street, counting down the days until Spring releases him back to the wharf.

e/motion is a revisited version of our childhood see-saw that invites you to dive into the joys and sensations of surging water. As you ride this infinite wave, the glowing liquid acts like a living entity that responds to your ups and downs.

From the integrated lit waves and water drops handlebars, to the soundscape redolent of the sea, users and bystanders are invited to explore e/motion’smagical ocean ambience from every angle. Is the base a whale’s tail or two water droplets? Let your imagination answer.

See-saw your way through this one-of-a-kind experience. Come for the laughter, stay for the memories.

Several buildings seem alive with big googly eyes. These personified architectures challenge the viewer and direct their gaze, while giving them the unsettling impression of being watched by a Big Brother-like presence. This ostensibly benign yet oppressive form evokes our ambiguous relationship with social networks in the era of surveillance capitalism. While entertaining content and endless emoji give such digital platforms a veneer of harmlessness, they capture our personal data to feed industries bent on controlling our behaviour.

This installation transforms a retro camping trailer into a playful basecamp and site for discovery in Winthrop Square. From his rooftop perch, a wooden bison explorer peers through a telescope toward a massive rocket installed on a nearby rooftop, tying the square to Boston’s history as the site of America’s first recorded UFO sighting by John Winthrop in 1639.

The result blends roadside Americana with sci-fi folklore — a lived-in public hangout that doubles as large-scale art, inviting visitors to gather, explore, and wonder why the ships have returned to Boston.

Several buildings seem alive with big googly eyes. These personified architectures challenge the viewer and direct their gaze, while giving them the unsettling impression of being watched by a Big Brother-like presence. This ostensibly benign yet oppressive form evokes our ambiguous relationship with social networks in the era of surveillance capitalism. While entertaining content and endless emoji give such digital platforms a veneer of harmlessness, they capture our personal data to feed industries bent on controlling our behaviour.

The Iceberg Trail is the result of three years of research and development. Each of the six icebergs is equipped with a state-of-the-art, human-powered mechanism that activates unique light displays and custom music. What makes this experience truly special is that each iceberg accumulates energy, offering users up to 12 minutes of experience after just 20 seconds of interaction. Together, the six icebergs are bringing much-needed light and laughter to Boston during the cold winter months.

“The Word on the Street” uses the materials and visual language of street signs, but replaces the traditional negative wording (Stop, Do Not Enter, Wrong Way…) with positive affirmations, “The Word on the Street” seeks to provide something that is missing from our daily visual diet. In this way the work aims to change how the viewer interacts with the world at large.

In approaching the towering Trumpet Flowers a sense of shrinking envelops you, as if stepping into a giant’s musical garden. As a vibrant jungle of light, colour, and sound bursts forth like a symphony of nature, meander and explore this floral forest and accept the invitation to activate your own spectacular light show accompanied by a curated musical score.

Fewer than 400 North Atlantic right whales are left in our ocean. Protecting each one is essential.  

Since 1980, the Aquarium has worked tirelessly to study and protect this critically endangered species. Everything we learn informs best practices, policy, and management, and helps us find ways to reduce harm to these whales. We invite you to join us in protecting North Atlantic right whales by learning more here

Walruses on the Rings of Saturn was originally created on a wood panel based on a photograph in National Geographic. Robert was inspired by the natural pattern of the wood to paint the sky and water with a combination of stain and acrylic paint. This work reimagines an earthly scene in the spectacular vibrant setting of Saturn’s rings. 

Several buildings seem alive with big googly eyes. These personified architectures challenge the viewer and direct their gaze, while giving them the unsettling impression of being watched by a Big Brother-like presence. This ostensibly benign yet oppressive form evokes our ambiguous relationship with social networks in the era of surveillance capitalism. While entertaining content and endless emoji give such digital platforms a veneer of harmlessness, they capture our personal data to feed industries bent on controlling our behaviour.

“The Word on the Street” uses the materials and visual language of street signs, but replaces the traditional negative wording (Stop, Do Not Enter, Wrong Way…) with positive affirmations, “The Word on the Street” seeks to provide something that is missing from our daily visual diet. In this way the work aims to change how the viewer interacts with the world at large.

Several buildings seem alive with big googly eyes. These personified architectures challenge the viewer and direct their gaze, while giving them the unsettling impression of being watched by a Big Brother-like presence. This ostensibly benign yet oppressive form evokes our ambiguous relationship with social networks in the era of surveillance capitalism. While entertaining content and endless emoji give such digital platforms a veneer of harmlessness, they capture our personal data to feed industries bent on controlling our behaviour.