WATER QUALITY LIGHTS UP

The floating art installation, designed by Playlab Inc and Family New York in collaboration with Floating Point, is a 15m x 15m plus-shaped ‘+POOL light’ that changes colour based on the conditions of the water in which it floats.

The LED sculpture glows blue when pathogens show up in the water but predictive enterococci levels are safe for swimming (below 35 CFU). It illuminates pink when levels reach unsafe swimming levels. The sculpture’s lights also change direction based on the flow of the current, and their brightness, frequency and sharpness depend on oxygen, turbidity and PH. The data is sent to a public website developed in partnership with Reaktor, which explains the science behind the installation.

“The design recognises the ‘+’ sign as a symbol of positivity, indicating the positive steps we have taken to improve water quality since the clean water act of 1972,” Reaktor explained. “The project offers the community a unique artistic lens through which to view their urban environment and raises awareness about the current state of our rivers.”

The sculpture is installed at the seaport district at lower Manhattan’s Pier 17 and will be on view until January 3, 2020. Commissioned by Friends of +POOL Inc, the installation can be seen from the Brooklyn waterfront and the bridges that connect Brooklyn with Manhattan.

The installation is an offshoot of the +POOL project, which since 2010 has been trying to install a self-filtering public pool with its own river-cleaning system in one of New York City’s rivers. Floating pools were popular in New York City during the 19^th century, when officials opened pools to serve as public baths. By the 1940s, all the pools were shut down as increasing pollution made them unusable.

Via designboom | Images courtesy of Friends of +POOL