DIY Field

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DIY is an interactive grid of 38 pedestrian-scale light posts on a sloped piece of land at the southern edge of Central Park. In keeping with the themes of play developed throughout the park, each post was designed so that visitors could interact or play with them, changing light and colour as they wished.

The posts make up a piece of public art created by the Canadian visual artist Germaine Koh. Called DIY Field, the project was developed through the Winnipeg Arts Council’s Public Art pro-gram. What makes public art different from other forms of art is that it is art created solely for public spaces. That being said, it is not just a piece of art that is placed somewhere in public. Public art is designed and created with location in mind, aiming to respond to and enhance the environment it inhabits. Inspired by the concept of play, Koh’s large-scale installation was de-signed specifically with Central Park in mind. The steel light posts are reminiscent of sports equipment one might find in a park, including pylons and goal posts.

Each of these posts contains energy-efficient RGB (red, green, blue) LED lights that are covered with a frosted acrylic tube. There are three buttons on each post and each of these buttons can turn a different colour of the LED light on and off. When you turn on more than one light, the colours from the different lights mix and you get a new colour. Each post can make eight col-ours: red, green, blue, yellow, cyan, magenta, white, and no light.

Through the manipulation of the artwork, the viewer, or rather participant, is invited to change the mood and atmosphere of the surrounding area. The installation speaks to the larger vision of public spaces that are shaped with citizens in mind.