The Alley of Light is an urban space defined by light. Recalling the typical narrow alleys of red and grey bricks in the historic centre of Amsterdam, this installation visualises the theme of this third annual light festival in Amsterdam, A Bright City, in a radical way. Open, dynamic and enchanting, this alley represents the best quali­ties that a contemporary city like Amsterdam has to offer.
 
The architectural light installation consists of 320 vertical strings with six lights each, hanging in a black steel cage construction. The footprint of the installation measures 10 by 12 metres. It is placed on an existing platform on Jonas Daniël Meijerplein, which could be considered a stage for the design. As the installation rises one metre above ground level, visitors have to climb several steps to enter this sparkling world.
The atmosphere and sense of space within the twelve metre-long passage change continuously thanks to its programmed variation of light configurations that never repeats. The lights continuously change intensity. The wave-like motion of light within the installation generates a unique spatial experience: when all lights are lit, the passage appears enclosed and intimate; as soon as the lights dim, the space becomes fluid and the borders of the alley start to fade.
 
Alongside the internal experience, the installation is perceived externally as an eye-catching three-dimensional animation. The motion of light within the strong geo­metric shape of the matrix can be seen from afar and invites people to experience the installation from within. The algorithm that controls the individual lights and generates the wave-like motion through the grid, is inspired by and derived from the physics of underwater lighting effects.

The individual lights are designed as abstract vertical lines. Each handmade light consists of two LEDs enclosed by an acrylic tube. The tubes are covered with white paper and sealed with heat shrink tubes. Next to the nearly 2000 lights, the instal­lation consists of one-and-a-half kilometres of cabling.
 
During the Amsterdam Light Festival the Alley of Light is located in the historic centre of Amsterdam on Jonas Daniël Meijerplein, between the Jewish Historical Museum and the Portuguese-Israeli Synagogue. It runs until 4 January 2015. Open daily from 5 until 10 pm. The experience of the installation is supported on site by music from Machinefabriek/ Rutger Zuydervelt.

Serge Schoemaker Architects & Digiluce 
Krelis Louwenstraat 1 B29
1055 KA Amsterdam
The Netherlands
PO Box 69300
1060 CJAmsterdam
The Netherlands
+31 20 337 35 32
mail@sergeschoemaker.com
www.sergeschoemaker.com