If you’re still scrambling for gifts this holiday season, why not give the gift of urban change? Kickstarter has a number of projects that are looking to improve city landscapes and communities by beautifying unused spaces, promoting local art, building a network of urban bee apiaries, and forming new community nodes that foster creativity. So for those looking for a gift that keeps on giving this year, here are four projects asking for a little support to help shape our cities for the better!

Silent Lights is a public art project in Red Hook, New York that aims to install a series of temporary gates that frame a pedestrian pathway in an area blighted by traffic from the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. By day, the architecture will show constant movement through the shadows of passing cars, while at night, the noise will be picked up by microphones and converted into patterns of light produced by glowing LEDs embedded in the gates. As noise increases, the light from each gate will intensify.

The gates will not only bring a new work of public art for the community but also provide a safer commute between Red Hook and its nearest point of public transportation, a subway stop on Smith and 9^th Streets. The group behind the project, Artist Build Collaborative, will also be collaborating with IT consultant Control Group and the Red Hook Initiative to create a platform that introduces design, technology, and physical computing to local teens, who will be producing their own programs to test on the actual installation. You can also take home a set of coasters or votive candles for your philanthropy. Visit their Kickstarter page here.

by Kelly Chan

posted in Uncategorized

tagged Art, cities, city, community, gifts, holiday, holidays, kickstarter, urbanism

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