Project Statement:



Under the Greenlights is an exploration of the northern lights and liminality. Using the point cloud depth-mapping technologies of the Microsoft Kinect Azure, the node-based visual environment of Touch Designer, and the front-end interfaces of OBS and Photomosh, the participants become the spiritual subjects under the green light interactive visuals.

Liminality is a core theme Ivan has gone through over the past decade, basking in the emotional “in-betweens” of moving from city to city, parent to parent, and teens to twenties. This, alongside his ever-changing relationship with light growing up in Yellowknife, solidified his desperation for summer’s eternal sunsets - especially during winter’s 3 PM nighttime. Despite winter’s hardships, its northern lights serve as a reminder that  light prevails in complete darkness. The stories of the Dene and Cree of the territories say that these lights in the sky are the spirits of those who passed, dancing to communicate with loved ones on earth (Legends of the Aurora, https://spectacularnwt.com/story/legends-of-the-aurora/). Under these greenlit, passed, spirits, we experience an emotional and dreamy sense of in-between of our current bodies on this earth, and what will be our future auras above us.

This installation does not expect its participants to understand the significance of their own auroras or the bigger picture of the northern lights. Rather, the hope is to convey the otherworldly experience of our northern lights tby inviting participants to interact with the in-between of their current bodies and their aurora counterpart. Whether it is experienced as one passes by, dances, or tells others of this piece, Ivan hopes that participants can share their expressions of light, create their own artistic narrative, and let the participatory nature of light speak for itself.