UC Berkeley Grad Students Light up San Leandro

By Office of Innovation
In Uncategorized
Dec 3rd, 2014
7 Comments
7201 Views

Urban Heartbeat

Underglow 

Walk With Me

Titles to books on the New York Times Bestsellers List?

Actually, these are the names of experiential installations created by three teams of graduate students from University of California, Berkeley* that will be installed in San Leandro this week.  These students, under the guidance of U.C. Berkeley Professor Greg Niemeyer/Director of the Center for New Media and Asst. Professor Ronald Rael/Architecture, spent one day in September walking all over San Leandro not just to discover our City, but also to find “secret gems” that are begging to be discovered in new ways.  San Leandrans will experience these installations through delightful visual interactions  via lights that will react to their immediate presence; the sensors connected to the playful lighting will provide the students and the City with real time information about how these unique spaces are used — or not used — by people walking by and interacting with the lights.

The City Council heard from the students Monday evening about their innovative use of sensors, arduino boards, and 3D prints to create their projects — this is a fun and fast-paced presentation, so please click  here or on the picture below to enjoy the video!

We look forward to your joining us for these unique, interactive — and temporary — installations.  Dates and times are listed below.  Did you enjoy your experiences? Which was your favorite?  Would you like to see permanent installations like these?  Please let us know!

* These projects represent a collaboration of students from various departments throughout the University and sponsored by  the Global Urban Humanities Initiative , a joint venture between the UC Berkeley Arts & Humanities Division of the College of Letters and Sciences and the College of Environmental Design.

UC Berkeley Students Preso to Council

The following ads about the installations will be published in the San Leandro Times this week.

Walk with Me ad

Urban Heartbeat Ad

Underglow Ad

7 Responses to “UC Berkeley Grad Students Light up San Leandro”

  1. Robert Talley says:

    I think it would be interesting to know more about the students such as what their career goals are and how these projects will prepare them for future employment.

  2. That would be interesting Robert and these conversations will continue!

    The students are hosting a 3-hour forum on their San Leandro experience next Thursday, December 11th from 3-5 on the U.C. Campus. Mayor Elect Pauline Cutter, City Manager Chris Zapata and I will be there to join the discussion and all San Leandrans are invited to join in! To find out more about the event: http://citris-uc.org/event/count-walking-city/. To join us, please register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/count-me-in-walking-the-city-tickets-14277118245

  3. Annie Danis says:

    Thank you for your enthusiasm for our projects.

    Sadly the threat of rain has forced WALK WITH ME on the Williams St. Bridge to be postponed until Tuesday, December 9 from 2-7pm.

    Please come out and interact with us and the installation NEXT WEEK!

    Annie Danis
    Ph.D. Student
    Department of Anthropology
    UC Berkeley

  4. Jean Nelson-Rodriguez says:

    I went by after work, around 6:30 but it was taken down. Must of been the rain. Sorry I missed it! I’m looking forward to the installation in Root Park and at Juana next Monday.

  5. […] grad students urge Congress to reinstate loans The UA Graduate and Professional Student Council will participate […]

  6. Cera Ward says:

    This sounds so amazing, I’m so sad that I missed it! Any chance it will be back, or that anything similar will be done this year?
    San Jose has some really cool projects downtown that are somewhat similar. One that I read about (though I’m not sure if it was ever implemented) was an interactive light installation that served as a sort of wayfinding treasure hunt. The light provided clues as to which way to go while leading people to important sites throughout downtown San Jose. It’s so cool that people are building these kinds of creative place-making experiences for people.

  7. […] In December 2014, the City of San Leandro was treated to an experimental collaboration with U.C. Berkeley Professor Greg Niemeyer/Director of the Center for New Media and Asst. Professor […]

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