Light Drift by Meejin Yoon:

Light Drift was a temporary interactive lighting installation along the edge of the Schuylkill River Banks that drew thousands of viewers into a playful engagement with the artwork, the river's edge, and each other. The project created a field of lighting elements arrayed along the waterfront, with elements on land and in the water. The installation was on exhibition October 15-17, 2010 at the Schuylkill River Banks between Market Street and Chestnut Street.The lighting elements are shaped like orbs or buoys and are equipped with electronics that allow them to respond to a viewer and to communicate with each other. The orbs on land use sensors to detect the presence of a person and relay a radio signal to the corresponding orbs in the water, allowing visitors to transform the array of orbs in the river. As viewers engage the orbs, the grid of lights in the water becomes an index of the activities on land. Multiple viewers can create intersections of linear patterns, encouraging viewers to “play” with each other. These orbs bring the community together by providing gathering spaces for watching the river turned into a flickering constellation of a field of lights and creating new connections on the river’s edge.

People can actually play with light orbs which is one way that it is public. I decided to post this piece because I thought it was creative to have the lights start from the side of the bridge into the water. I like the fact that it alternates colors and its on a constant float with the river.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLdgJ7556Fs

[the link to a video of people interacting with the piece.]