Greetings from Everywhere 2021, Ukraine, Kyiv
Interactive laser installation
During the New Year 2021 celebrations, laser interactivity was performed on the cathedral bell tower facade in the country's main square. Everyone could create and launch laser snowflakes online, sending wishes of love, well-being, peace, and health. To make it possible, we developed a website where visitors could create a personalized snowflake, like in a constructor. Each snowflake symbolized the wish for peace, health, love, or prosperity. Then it was immediately launched with a laser on the bell tower facade. Those who were not at the location could launch remotely and watch a live broadcast on the same website. So, in the face of a pandemic and massive restrictions, people could congratulate the whole country unusually and safely.
The "Greetings from Everywhere" project was a small miracle for every Ukrainian, wherever they were. The project's goal was to unite people who were separated due to circumstances, quarantine, and the pandemic. We have developed a special web application where anyone could create a personal snowflake with a unique design. Visitors could choose its color, a special effect for the snowflake, and a shape that symbolized the wish to the people of Ukraine: health, love, prosperity, or peace. When the snowflake was complete, it appeared on the bell tower of St. Sophia Cathedral. This event could be observed both directly near the bell tower and online during a live broadcast on the project's website. We built a special room to install nine lasers, combining them with a single control system to draw all text greetings and snowflakes as clearly as possible. In addition to the conceptual lighting part and each snowflake design development, we have developed our own software. It enabled us to control the operation of nine lasers remotely. We also made an online broadcast with minimal latency and integrated it all into the web application so that people could instantly see their snowflake on the bell tower of St. Sophia of Kyiv. Sophia Kievskaya is a holy shrine for Ukrainians and a museum at the same time. Today museums should use more and more innovative approaches, creative solutions, and modern technologies. This project not only became a symbolic emotional translator of congratulations but also attracted Ukrainians' attention to St. Sophia of Kyiv as a cultural object. In view of the sacred nature of the building, congratulations on it had special emotional overtones. In total, for the month of the installation, people launched 2607 health snowflakes, 2416 love snowflakes, 2370 peace snowflakes, and 1502 prosperity snowflakes. Given the global pandemic in 2020, health got the most desirable for people. And the long-term military conflict in the east of Ukraine makes peace also a crucial wish for many Ukrainians. And the always relevant values are love and prosperity.
Details
Building or project owner : VISA
Project artist/ concept/ design/ planning : Gres Todorchuk PR, Expoilight, Ukraine
Structural engineering : Mykola Kabluka, Expoilight, Ukraine
Light design : Mykola Kabluka, Expoilight, Ukraine
Technical layout light : Expoilight, Ukraine
Display content/ visuals/ showreel : Expoilight, Ukraine
Lighting control software : Expoilight, Ukraine
Project co-ordination : Gres Todorchuk PR, Ukraine
Interaction design/ programming : Expoilight, Ukraine
Descriptions
Kind of light creation : Laser
Participatory architecture & urban interaction
Host organization : VISA
Mediacredits
Savchenko Yevhenii, Melnikov Oleh
Savchenko Yevhenii, Melnikov Oleh
Savchenko Yevhenii, Melnikov Oleh
Savchenko Yevhenii, Melnikov Oleh
Savchenko Yevhenii, Melnikov Oleh
Savchenko Yevhenii, Melnikov Oleh
Savchenko Yevhenii, Melnikov Oleh
Savchenko Yevhenii, Melnikov Oleh