The role of security lights and streetlights in a city is to provide residents with a sense of safety and peace of mind, making night paths easier to navigate and preventing crime. However, when a fluorescent tube nears the end of its lifespan, the situation changes drastically; its flickering becomes a source of significant anxiety and discomfort for onlookers. Why does flickering cause more unease than a completely extinguished light? Is it because it gives an impression of poor management and a lack of public safety? Is it because it evokes death as the object reaches the end of its life? Or is it due to a fear of the “abnormal”? Although the transition to LEDs has been progressing in recent years, many old fluorescent specifications still remain, and it is not uncommon to see them left flickering.

The Thundercloud Project is an art project that seeks out these flickering security lights and transforms them into thunderclouds. It turns the dying state of an inorganic security light into a thundercloud that glows vividly, brimming with life. By completely reversing the image and tailoring the object so that blinking becomes its natural state, the project eliminates feelings of anxiety and discomfort. Furthermore, I hope that seeing a thundercloud on a night path will allow viewers to freely let their thoughts wander—evoking feelings of joy or even silliness—and realize that everyday life can be transformed into a completely different world with just a little bit of ingenuity.

 

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Thundercloud Project , 2015
Installation with video (color/sound)  3:20 min.　
device : W75xH48xD33cm　polyester, vinyl chloride