Urban Matter Inc. has just completed installing noise interactive LED lights on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway pedestrian pathway. The lights are lit up by the New York City Department of Transportation and the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership switched on the lights, a new public art installation located underneath the expressway, according to an Inhabitat report.
New York Brooklyn's Silent Light display designed by Urban Matter Inc. is unveiled on Dec. 17, 2013. (Photo Courtesy of Urban Matter Inc.)
The lights are lit by 2,400 neopixel LEDs that are controlled using an arduino mega 2560, according to Urban Matter blog entry. Analog microphones help analyze the information used to control and determine RGB values and to trigger predetermined LED animations when volume exceeds a certain threshold.The LEDs of each gate are controlled separately by the arduino.
LED lights used in the Silent Light gateway. (Photo Courtesy of Urban Matter Inc.)
According to Urban Matter Inc. blog entry the lights took two and a half years to design, fund and build. The company did not receive the final two grants till 2013, and spent considerable amount of time to coordinate with electrical contractors and DOT to prep the site so it was stable and posed no electric hazards.
Top: It appears the Silent Light design was formulated on a napkin. Bottom: The actual installation process. (Photo Courtesy of Urban Matter)
