The 650 lanterns of Luminaries, an interactive light display at the Winter Garden, change colors in rippling waves, both in choreographed light shows and in response to “wishes” made by visitors.
BY YANNIC RACK |
Shoppers expecting to see Brookfield Place’s Winter Garden festooned with the typical holiday staples of snowflakes and silver bells may be surprised this season to find the ceiling hung instead with a glowing canopy of 650 lanterns embedded with LEDs that constantly change color.
But Luminaries, an interactive light display suspended above the Winter Garden, is getting rave reviews from residents and visitors to the area.
“It’s a great idea, good concept,” said Patrick Farrell, who stopped by the colorful contraption with his 6-year-old son Jacob on a recent Saturday afternoon.
The interactive installation includes a handful of touch-sensitive “wishing stations” scattered throughout the solarium at ground level, which visitors are encouraged to touch to make a wish. Touching one of the glowing boxes sets off an ever-changing ripple effect in the lanterns above it, with the reds, blues and greens radiating outward to mix with colors originating from the other corners of the display.
“It’s nice, I didn’t even realize it did that,” said Farrell when he gave it a try.
The display was designed by the Rockwell Group, an award-winning New York architecture and design practice, and was inspired by the concept of a wishing well.
More than just a treat for the eyes, the installation also has a philanthropic twist: each time someone “makes a wish,” Arts Brookfield will donate $1 — up to $25,000 total — to the Grammy Foundation to support music education programs in high schools.
For some visitors, it almost seemed too good to be true.
“I tried it, then I realized maybe they were stealing my fingerprints,” joked Tessy Omina, 28, who had come the Winter Garden with her friend Marie Okondo, 27.
Originally from Kenya, both now live in New Jersey and made the trip into the city just to check out the display.
“That was cool,” Okondo said approvingly after testing one of the stations.
She said she had indeed made a silent wish when she set off the rippling display, but her friend had forgotten to when it was her own turn.
“I was too caught up in the whole thing,” Omina said, marveling at the multi-colored lights shimmering overhead.
When not flickering at the whims of wishful visitors, Luminaries also offers choreographed light shows scheduled every half hour from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. The shows were originally scheduled only to run every two hours, but were expanded due to popular demand, according to a spokesperson for Brookfield.
The colorful lights will remain among the fronds of the Winter Garden’s iconic palm trees until January 10.
