Serpentinertunnelen

An interactive lighting system, completed in march 2019, to replace the ageing lighting of a central Aarhus-tunnel, with the goal to promote a sense of safety. Close attention was paid to the architecture of the tunnel, as well as the existing graffiti art, which influenced the design heavily. Developed in association with students at Aarhus University.

The lighting system for Serpentinertunnelen is based on very reliable, flexible and cost effective fixtures which were installed in a pattern inspired by the architecture of the tunnel itself. We were careful to keep as small a footprint as possible, with the aim of obscuring the graffiti of the tunnel as little as possible. Working with the graffiti instead of against it (the latter being the custom in the past), there are clear benefits to this more harmonious approach to renovating a tunnel, which wouldn’t work for any tunnel. We decided to work in this way, because of a careful consideration of the graffiti of the tunnel, which was deemed to be of a high quality and in general not a source of making the tunnel feel unsafe.
Another important element to this project is a detailed sensor-system, which influences the lighting in the tunnel according to various natural conditions and human influences. The aim here, was to create a connection between the world outside and the inside the tunnel, to bring the pedestrian or cyclist passing through out of the potential claustrophobic feeling of discomfort, which might arise from the idea of passing through tunnels in general.
Developed with local lighting designer / IOT-developer Moto Muto ApS.

Experience:
Serpentinertunnelen was a project with a huge amount of detailed work form my side, in all areas of development. In this case I not only generated the ideas and goals behind the installation, but also worked closely with the developer, to fine tune details to a very precise degree.
Highlighted circumstances, that I dealt with in this project:

Generating concept and developing further, together with multiple partners and users, to secure a high degree of relevance of the ideas that were finally materialised.
Participating closely in technical design to make sure the final result was a responsive installation, that lived up to the design ambitions.
Drafting and implementing approved maintenance plan designed around the idea of a harmonious existence of the installation in a graffiti hotspot, which proved to be very effective in avoiding upkeep.
Defining focus in and arranging of independent analysis to measure how effective the various interactive effects of the installation were, in heightening the sense of safety, for pedestrians and cyclists using the tunnel.
Authoring article in Dansk Center For Lys’ monthly magazine detailing the ambitions and results from implementing the installation, in deep detail.