FLylight

an art installation mimicking the behaviour of a flock of starlings

Flylight is a site-specific art installation that directly interacts with its surroundings. The light mimics the behaviour of a flock of birds in flight, symbolizing the conflict between the safety of the group and the freedom of the individual.

Flylight, Glasstress 2015 Gotika, Venice Biennale | Photo by Juuke Schoorl

Flylight, public commission High Tech Campus Eindhoven (NL)

CODED NATURE at Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam - Photo: Ronald Smits

FLYLIGHT IS REPRESENTED BY CARPENTERS WORKSHOP GALLERY

While birds are the ultimate symbol of freedom, in a flock, they move as one single entity creating mesmerising patterns. This flock behaviour is an example of ‘self-organization’, meaning that no single bird leads the flight. Amazingly enough, each individual senses the speed and the direction of the group.

This natural phenomenon formed a source of inspiration for Flylight, for which the flock behaviour was translated into agent-based software that was especially developed for this work. It consists of delicate glass tubes that light up in an unpredictable way, partially responsive to external stimuli. The pattern, in which the installation lights up, is not pre-programmed but rather has an interactive compound: just like a real flock of birds.

The work questions the delicate balance between the group and the individual. Just like birds, people find safety in a group, while at the same time they are forced to act according to a set of rules on which society functions. The one who chooses individual freedom above these rules, is forced to operate outside of society. Where, then, lies the perfect balance between the two?