February 7, 2017

Artwork fits right in with brain institute

Photos by Lara Swimmer Photography [enlarge]

Pathways is a 150-foot-long, exterior light box with color changing LEDs.

[enlarge]

Pathways is on the exterior of the Allen Institute for Brain Science.

Seattle-based Studio SC said it designed a public artwork called Pathways that was recently installed on the exterior of the Allen Institute for Brain Science at 615 Westlake Ave. N. in Seattle.

The institute is a nonprofit medical research organization dedicated to answering big questions in life science and accelerating research worldwide.

In a press release, Studio SC said Pathways is a 150-foot-long, exterior light box with color changing LEDs. The installation alludes to how our brains work and the institute's big science approach to brain research.

Studio SC said the installation incorporates actual neural imagery the institute uses to interpret human brain activity. The main graphic is dense layers of arrows, numbers and typographic letterforms printed in magenta, cyan and white, respectively.

The symbols used in the neural image that comprises the whole of “Pathways” reflect three aspects of the institute's research: neural pathways observed in the form of arrows, computational analysis in the form of binary code, and language inference in the form of letters. As the light shifts in color, the corresponding printed imagery is obscured while the opposing color is emphasized. The result is a continuously shifting, neural brain-scape for the public to see.

The Pathways team included Image Mill, fabricator; and Pacific Lighting Systems, lighting consultant.

Perkins + Will was the architect on the institute building and GLY Construction was the general contractor.