“Global Vision” is a monumental light installation that was created for the 16th edition of Nuit Blanche festival in Toronto. Nuit Blanche Toronto is the city’s annual one-night celebration of contemporary art, produced by the City of Toronto in collaboration with the city’s arts community.
Inspired by the theme of immigration from Europe and Asia to North America, the award-winning “Global Vision” captures the way in which immigration changes our perspective on the world, culture, and society. The eye-shaped light installation allows a visitor to walk through a colorful labyrinth that “sheds light” on the challenges of immigration.
The installation’s versatility and adaptability made it a valuable addition to another light event. With its message of unity, it has been reshaped into a circle to captivate the audience at the “Cavalcade of Lights” festival.
Event 1
Project Type
Light Installation
* an independent project
Location
Mel Lastman Square
5100 Yonge St, North York, ON
Dates
Oct 1 – Oct 2, 2022
Event 2
Project Type
Light installation
* the exposition’s central element
Location
Nathan Phillips Square
100 Queen St W, Toronto, ON
Dates
Nov 26, 2022 – Jan 8, 2022
The concept
The concept of the installation embodies the theme of immigration and the changes that immigrants experience in their new environment. When viewed from above, the installation takes the form of a giant eye, representing the intersection of the East and West hemispheres on Earth. The varying lights within the installation symbolize the many changes that immigrants experience in their new homeland.
The prototyping process for “Global Vision” was a crucial part of the project. Graphic sketches and scale models of the installation were created in order to determine the final placement and arrangement of the individual elements in the composition.
How it's made
Production
The installation's production process utilized a variety of materials and equipment, including LED lights, power supplies, a lighting controller, and decorating materials. The assembly of the prism structures, wiring, and light programming were carried out by qualified specialists from GVA Lighting, while we handled the time-consuming decorative work. The use of colored reflective tape and polyethylene film helped to diffuse and reflect the light, resulting in a stunning visual effect.
Setup
Deployment & Testing
The installation was deployed with care and precision to ensure the artistic vision was fully realized. Each prism element was anchored with two concrete tiles to remain stable, even in windy conditions. Testing was critical to ensure optimal functionality and achieve the desired effects.
Setup
Deployment & Testing
The installation was deployed with care and precision to ensure the artistic vision was fully realized. Each prism element was anchored with two concrete tiles to remain stable, even in windy conditions. Testing was critical to ensure optimal functionality and achieve the desired effects.
The project statistics
Metal structures
with lights
24
Power supplies
with databoxes
7
Power & data
cables (m)
300
Colored reflective
tape (m)
2160
Polyethylene
film (㎡)
270
LED lighting used: Royal Blue Mono STR9, RGBW HL-DL with round diffuser, Flexible RGBW HL-Art (all by GVA Lighting)
Another Perspective
Cavalcade of Lights
After the successful display of the "Global Vision" installation at the Nuit Blanche festival, the installation was reshaped into a circular form for use at Nathan Phillips Square during the holiday season. The installation became the central composition of the "Cavalcade of Lights" festival and served as a stage for performing artists. Later, it was transformed into an attraction area, with a carousel in the middle, drawing even more attention from festival-goers.
