Tilikum Light

As part of TriMet’s Public Art Program, artists Anna Valentina Murch and Douglas Hollis collaborated with digital artist Morgan Barnard to create a dynamic lighting experience on the new bridge that changes in relation to the natural conditions of the Willamette River in Portland Oregon. Digital artist Morgan Barnard created specialized software to read real-time data from the river and translates it into the movement of color and light on the bridge. The water temperature determines the overall color scheme while the speed of the river controls the pace at which the colors and light move across the bridge. The lighting is also directed at the two land side abutments, where parabolic sound dishes, also designed by Murch and Hollis, offer surprising moments of amplification and interplay with color and light.