The shimmering, captivating colorful rivers of light of the Aurora Borealis become visible at the National Nordic Museum on February 9. Project Aurora is a bright wall of light, 20 feet high and 10 feet wide, made up of 34,560 individual LED lights. Shimmering sheets of colored light, drawn from images of the Aurora Borealis, are programmed to undulate across the wall of light. Microprocessors update the installation 20 times per second, creating a peak brightness of 350,000 lumens; the light equivalent of 225 traditional 100-watt bulbs. Aided by artificial intelligence, the piece captures the unpredictability of the natural phenomenon.
Artist Ginny Ruffner worked in collaboration with Ed Fries, a prominent video game programmer and entrepreneur, and Wanda Gregory, a University of Washington lecturer and former video game professional, to evoke an experience of ephemeral beauty for viewers of the artwork.
“Creating a representation of the most elusive phenomenon required a lot of equally complex technical expertise. My hope is that the Aurora Borealis’ incredible beauty (created by just wind and atoms) inspires humans to be aware of the beauty of the natural world and their impact on that beauty through their individual impact on the physical world,” said Ruffner, an internationally renowned Seattle-based multimedia artist known for her glass sculptures in 50+ global collections.
Chief Curator of the Nordic Museum, Leslie Anderson, emphasized that the exhibit illustrates two of the Museum’s core values; innovation and connection to nature.
“Project Aurora gives us the incredible opportunity to witness the remarkable spectacle of the Northern lights through cutting-edge technology, while celebrating the vision of a world-renowned artist in our own neighborhood,” says Anderson.
Project Aurora is now on view in the Museum's Fjord Hall, (near the front entrance), and runs on a fixed schedule from Tuesday through Sunday, noon-10:00 pm. It is included in a paid General Admission ticket.
