Streetlight Harvesters / Nattljusskördarna
Streetlight Harvesters is a collaboration with artist duo Lundahl & Seitl that reflects on the vast glowing creature that our society births every night, illuminating the shaded side of the globe with artificial light, to then die at dawn’s first light.
We take artificial light for granted, it is a cornerstone of contemporary life without which it would not be recognisable. Some say that it was Arkwright’s use of tallow candles, which allowed for nightly shifts in his mills, that sparked the Industrial Revolution at scale. But the light that keeps our streets safe affects other species, nocturnal moths can no longer navigate by the moon’s light, and bats reduce their active time believing it is still daytime. The introduction of one system throws another out of balance.
Conceptual Background
The experience is an exploration of the intersection between digital and physical public space, enabled by Meadow, our platform for immersive experiences. The experience starts on your phone but quickly expands beyond the confines of your screen and into the urban infrastructure, visible through the surrounding streetlights.
Our phones are merely the fruiting bodies of the web of invisible infrastructure that undergirds contemporary society. This infrastructure is invisible by design because our separation from it makes our responsibility for its adverse effects less strongly felt. By refocusing on this infrastructure we aim to make it and its effects visible to us, and to make us reflect on our own, as well as our infrastructure’s role within the myriad of systems that make up nature.
Technical Approach
To create the experience, we needed an adaptive and cost-effective way to control streetlights. Light installations are normally controlled via networking protocols running over dedicated cables, but for this project we needed a much simpler way to install and manage the bulbs. Luckily, many older streetlights have regular E27 fittings, meaning they can easily be replaced with WiFi smartbulbs that can be controlled wirelessly.
To be able to quickly test different iterations on-site, we created a custom tool to map each bulb to a geolocation, and create animated sequences and generative patterns that sync with audio. We also extended the capabilities of Meadow to be able to connect the experience on the participant’s device with the modified streetlights. When no one is there to experience the piece, the lights are programmed to behave like normal streetlights, with occasional irregularities, inviting the inhabitants to the experience.
Many thanks to Nicolas, Henrik and Maarit from Signify, who kindly provided the smart lightbulbs from their WiZ Pro range and offered technical support.
Streetlight Harvesters was shown in the little park in Fållan, Slakthusområdet. Many thanks to Paola Zamora at Stockholm Konst, Björn Lundwall at Trafikkontoret, Adam Marcelind at Bogfelts, Sara Ellert at Exploateringskontoret, our collaborators Lundahl & Seitl, and to the people at Stockholm Roast whose amazing coffee fueled our work.
Exhibition
Fållan, Slakthusområdet, March-April 2025, Stockholm
The experience opened every night at the end of civil twilight:
- March 3rd: 18:01
- March 10th: 18:18
- March 17th: 18:35
- March 24th: 18:52
- March 31st: 20:09
