West Fargo Downtown Placemaking Proposal - Main & Sheyenne

AURORA is a series of illuminated, interactive sculptures that bring new community pavilions and a joyous burst of color to the entrance of the central business district at Main and Sheyenne. Referencing the colorful celestial phenomena of the polar lights, the goal is transform this intersection into a gateway of delight, magic and play. As a vibrantly colored landscape composed of interlocked steel modules, each sculpture transforms the site into a new outdoor hub for sitting, socializing and gathering. With its coat of colors, the artwork creates a visual impact both by day and by night, for both vehicles and pedestrians.

During the daytime, AURORA hopes to generate more foot traffic in the area, drawing both locals and visitors to stop at the sites, to get out of their cars, support local businesses and spend time at these human-scale sculptures. 

During the evening, AURORA offers a festive spectacle. Referencing the colorful light flickers of actual auroras, each AURORA sculpture creates an exuberant chromatic experience for the public to participate in. Each artwork features weatherproof, individually controlled RGB flexible encapsulated fixtures that are nested in between the rows of modules and several sound sensors are located within selected modules to register environmental audio. AURORA creates a shared synesthetic experience. Custom-programmed lighting cues shimmer across the sculpture’s steppes, analogous to playing the keys of a piano, in response to the environmental sounds — movements of vehicles, traffic, passers-by, footsteps climbing on the structure, voices. When no sounds are registered, the fixtures pulse slowly in the artwork’s vibrant color palette. When sound levels reach our designated threshold, a pulse of colored light crosses the sculpture.

These colored lights, mixing with the colorful vertical faces of the steel topography, create a dynamic symphony through these ever-changing, kaleidoscopic transformations; our perception of color is constantly shifting. AURORA is a place of joy and light, celebrating inclusion, diversity and togetherness in today’s era. As a series of new community hubs, AURORA encourages moments of pause, reflection, and interaction between people and place.