chasing rainbows
leo villareal

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Chasing Rainbows New Haven, Site Projects 2004, consists of sixty tubes, each eight feet in length, containing thousands of full-color light emitting diodes (LEDs), which are capable of producing over sixteen million color combinations. Each light is programmed by the artist to respond to a simple set of rules. For example, a light will move right across the grid until it encounters another illuminated LED, at which time it will blink.

Inspired by mathematician John Conway's Game of Life and using the principles of cellular automata (a field of mathematical research involving systems in which grid cells evolve in relation to neighboring cells), Villareal has produced a complex system where the LEDs take on a life of their own, creating a kinetic rainbow made up of base sequences that are triggered in a random order and continue for varied lengths of time.

Click on the following subjects for more information:
[John Conway] [LED] [The Game of Life] [The Game Of Life (Moving)]

Leo Villareal is a pioneering visual artist who works in a number of
different media, most of which are outgrowths of his ongoing research
in advanced computer programming. A Yale alumnus and graduate of New
York University’s Interactive Telecommunications Program at the Tisch
School of the Arts, Villareal uses light, new technology and
sophisticated computer programming to create indoor and outdoor pieces
that mesmerize and absorb the viewer. Born in Albuquerque, NM, he
currently lives and works in New York City. http://www.villareal.net

Sponsors, Donors and Supporters

Chasing Rainbows New Haven, presented by Site Projects 2004 in
conjunction with Arts & Ideas New Haven, was made possible through
grants, donations and support from:
Anonymous
The Arts Council of Greater New Haven
Artspace, Inc.
The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation
Jim and Martha Alexander
Rick and Nancy Antle
The David Bermant Foundation – Color, Light and Motion
Phil Bernstein and Nancy Alexander
Nan Birdwhistell
Peter Chapman
The City of New Haven
Fred and Laura Clarke
The Committee of Proprietors of Common and Undivided Land
Jane Coppock
Sumner Crosby, Jr.
Jack and Betsey Dunham
The Eli Whitney Museum
Gordon and Shelley Geballe
David Hesse, MD
The JFM Foundation
Richard and Maria Kayne
Ruth Lapides
Kenley and Lynn Ford Lawton
Bob Levine, City of New Haven, Department of Parks, Recreation & Trees
Magdalena and Florencio Lopez-de-Silanes
Patrick McCaughey
Jerry and Roz Meyer
Barry Nalebuff and Helen Kauder
NewAlliance Foundation
Nick and Sara Ohly
Cesar Pelli & Associates Architects
Karen Pritzker and Michael Vlock
Steve and Carol Ross
Schwartz & Hofflich, LLP
The Smart Family Foundation
Steven and Susan Smith
Edward Stanley Engineers, LLC
Wachovia Bank
Walker Solutions, Inc.
Esther Messick Weir
Wiggin and Dana
Yale University, Office of New Haven and State Affairs
Yale University, Office of the Deputy Provost for the Arts
Zinc