Bird Song Chandelier was created by Melody Owen, Fabricated and installed by Ian Gilula.

Design Objectives: The design objectives for Bird Song were to create a permanent lighting installation that served as a wayfinding device and iconic symbol for guests of The Nines, a luxury hotel in Portland, Oregon. The artwork was intended to be a tribute to wildlife and ecological sustainability, and to bring awareness to these issues through its unique form and the use of generative soundscapes incorporating Pacific Northwest bird chirps. Additionally, the installation was designed to be interactive, allowing The Nines hotel to change the color, chirp frequency, volume, and randomness of the lights and soundscapes through a custom iPad application.

Design Concept: The design concept for Bird Song is centered around the idea of representing sound physically through the use of 35-foot glass blown sculptural strands modeled after the sonogram of a repeated bird song. The sculpture is hung with aircraft cable through the middle of each section of hand-blown glass and custom clips hold 3-foot sections of glass in place. LED strips were fabricated to allow double-sided emission and extend voltage transmission length, and addressable lighting technology was used to animate the full vertical height of the chandelier. The iPad control system communicates using OSC over the local network and is remotely controllable.

Type: Interactive Lighting, Audio Reactive Lighting, Permanent Installation

Technique: generative soundscapes, 3D modeling, custom fabrication, animated LED lighting, pixel mapping, and software development

Materials: glass blown sculptural strands, aircraft cable, Laser cut stainless, addressable LED strips, iPad

Location: The Nines Hotel - Portland, Oregon.

Partners: Melody Owen, Ian Gilula, and DotDotDash