A new immersive, public art installation opens today in Lower Manhattan’s Seaport District, part of a first-of-its-kind collaboration from Atlantic Re:think and Lincoln. The installation, titled The Nautilus, is free to the public, and is meant to serve as both a destination and an experience for visitors to the seaport throughout the summer.
“With this public art installation, we were able to use Lincoln’s rich design heritage and technology, and bring a really fun and immersive experience to the seaport,” says Jeremy Elias, executive creative director of Atlantic Re:think. “This isn’t the typical approach to auto advertising, or a new-car launch, and the result is a piece of art that gives visitors at the seaport a real, valuable experience.”
Created by design studio SOFTLab, The Nautilus consists of nearly 100 interactive poles, arranged in a circular constellation, that each respond to a visitor’s touch and to environmental sounds. The entire installation is connected by a back-end computer and sensors, so that touching one pole sets off a choreographed audio and light display. While a single touch produces one tone, simultaneous interactions with the installation stimulate a complex, layered chorus. Its animated lights act as a dispersed lighthouse, which visitors to Brooklyn’s waterfront park will be able to see from across the East River at night. The Nautilus will be open through September 10, and then move permanently to Lincoln’s home, in Michigan.
