Canadian city commissions LED artwork

LEDs and LED displays have been used in various major art projects over the years, offering creative types tons of flexibility when it comes to what can actually be created.

Now the local authorities in the Canadian city of Ottawa are planning a very unusual art installation called The Screen, which will be erected in Lansdowne Park, as part of the efforts to invest in renovating certain areas.

The Screen will be made up of LED displays mounted on vertical beams, which number 60 in total, with Canadian artist, Jill Anholt, heading up the design of the structure.

At the moment the project remains at the conceptual stage only and the city is currently looking to contract out companies, to supple the beams and also integrate the LED system that will help to link all of the displays together.

The LED displays will apparently provide a viewing area of 72 square metres, starting from three metres off the ground.

It is currently unknown just how much this installation will cost, but it can be assumed that its complexity will probably make a substantial dent in the city’s redevelopment fund.

Running costs will at least be quite low, given the energy efficient nature of LED displays.

The part which houses the display is close to a local sports stadium and so it is a public thoroughfare of sorts, which means the work of art should get plenty of attention, once it is put in place.

Another project which artist Anholt is being commissioned to design will end up in the city, although fewer details are known about this. Given that it is to be named The Beacon, it might well also involve LEDs in some shape or form, because this moniker implies the use of illumination.