| Light Haiku is an exciting public art project developed for downtown San Jose by visual artist Chris Eckert and recording artist/poet pc muñoz. One of eight public art projects selected by the San Jose Office of Cultural Affairs for their new temporary art program Who’s on 1st/What’s on 2nd, Light Haiku enables compelling artistic expression through cutting-edge technology. The project merges haiku, an ancient form of Japanese poetry, with sophisticated engineering and contemporary content. Eckert’s Light Cannon, a unique computer controlled spotlight designed and built specifically for Light Haiku, will “write” original poetry on an enormous 650 square foot luminescent screen in downtown San Jose nightly between 6:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. As a focused three-inch spot slowly plays across the screen, its glowing wake gradually produces an ethereal, billboard-sized haiku. It emerges from the darkness, then fades away. The installation, located between first and second streets south of San Fernando Street, will run from December 1, 2007 through February 15, 2008.
Featured poetry, anchored by muñoz who has contributed over two hundred haiku specifically for this installation, will include solicited submissions from guest poets around the world. Community engagement is also an important part of the exhibit. Eckert and muñoz have coordinated efforts with San Jose elementary schools. Students, grades 2 through 4, are currently submitting haiku for inclusion in the exhibition.
For more information about this project please visit www.LightHaiku.com
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