Various

Building Projections

International

1970s to present

Building projections as an art form gained traction in the late 1970s with artists such as Krzysztof Wodiczko and Jenny Holzer creating seminal works that brought the idea of public art to a massive urban scale. New technology has reinvigorated the potential of enlivening a public space by projecting moving images onto static buildings. For example, a drab wall is electrified by a dazzling light display triggered by passing car traffic, or passersby’s text messages replace a classical façade’s carved inscription with citizen proclamations. Architects have been experimenting with programmable façades for years, and dozens of cities worldwide host Nuit Blanches, all-night festivals featuring a range of illuminating public interventions. (Pictured: Marcos Zotes’ CCTV/Creative Control, from New York’s 2011 Nuit Blanche.)

Community, Information, Pleasure
Varies
Varies
Varies
Problem - blank, inviting walls; static architecture; dull public space
Solution - illuminating projections