|
Programme > Mapping > Lights in the City
 'Lights in the City' consisted of interactive lights located old Parliament building that reacted to a sensor located in a homeless shelter | Alfredo Jaar, Lights in the City, 1999
Montreal, Canada
Commissioned by Mois de la Photo a Montreal
Alfredo Jaar is a Chilean artist based in New York.
Creating a common social responsability towards homelessness Several hundred thousand watts of red light were installed in a landmark monument in the centre of Montreal while detonating devices were placed in a homeless shelter located 500 yards from the building. Every time a homeless person entered the shelter, he or she was free to press the button that would make the red lights in the Cupola flash. The lights on the cupola raised awareness about homelessness and challenged public responsibility in a prosperous city such as Montreal. | "Eventually all the shelters for homeless people in Montreal could be wired and connected to the Cupola. This way, a major landmark and historical monument in the city would be acting as a non-stop lighthouse, producing endless, paintful distress signals to society. With enough media coverage and public outrage and support triggered by these ongoing distress signals, homelessness could be completely eradicated from Montreal"
Alfredo Jaar, 2000 | | 
