THOUGHT BALLOONS AND STAPLEFIELD
CENTRAL PARK RECREATION CENTER
COMMISSION: $250,000
ARTIST TEAM: MAREK WALCZAK (NY) AND WESLEY HEISS (PA)
INSTALLED: 2011
There are two digital artwork(s) installed in the new Central Park Recreation Center. Thought Balloons is a large, black-glass frame placed on the north wall of the long, entry hallway. The artwork playfully inserts software-generated, text-based dialogue over the heads of people seated on the frame. The text will be updated, and you can add suggestions atThoughtBalloons.org!
The second project, Staplefield, is an interactive artwork suspended from an aluminum and plywood frame that holds 2,160 multicolor LEDs arranged in a cylindrical fashion. As someone moves through the space, a software application creates three-dimensional animations with the lights, demonstrating how the building is used.