Public Light Installation "Particle Falls" Merges Science And Art

Over the next month, the corner of West 4th and Spruce Streets in downtown Winston-Salem will be illuminated with a striking projection. Images will cascade like a waterfall, creating a light show on the side of the Stevens Center. 

But the installation "Particle Falls" is not just pretty lights. The visuals reflect our air quality, in real time. Essentially, data from pollutant monitors are turned into live works of art.

The innovative installation was created by Andrea Polli. She's a professor of art and ecology at the University of New Mexico. She describes what the projection might look like on a suddenly smoggy day.

Well, what starts out with low pollution as a beautiful blue waterfall is transformed into a fireball. So it's red, and orange, and lots of flames, creating something alarming or dangerous.

"Particle Falls" will be on display nightly, at dusk, through March 24th.