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Phantasm
“Phantasm” is a multi-phase public art project on the dual themes of light and the affinity between life forms. All photography by Larry Ripple
In this latest iteration of the Phantasm project for the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, a suite of four new light-jet digital images is created for the round light-boxes installed along Strawberry Way. “Fruits” features four tropical fruits- a tamarind pod, passion fruit, coconut, and horned melon presented on a black background with light glowing from areas on each that articulate qualities as individuals. An open-ended sense of urban denizens and their environment is employed as the fruits present themselves literally and metaphorically as light emitting characters that might be stand-ins for humans. In their context along a pedestrian corridor, the fruits suggest how we consider one another and ourselves as we observe and pass-by. The work aims to participate in the reciprocal dynamics and affect of people watching, including projection and empathy, and embraces eccentricity and humor.
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