A Light Sculpture Is Harvesting San Francisco’s Secrets

July 8, 2015, 10:55am

San Francisco’s innermost online secrets reify into one dynamic light show in Future Lab Cities‘ Murmur Wall. The structure, recently installed in the heart of one of the city’s principle thoroughfares, is described by the studio as an, “artificially intelligent, anticipatory architecture.” In technical terms, this impressive moniker translates into a system of search engines and social media which scan and monitor local online activity for rising trends and predominent keywords. “As a continuously evolving interface, the Murmur Wall provides a place for the city to share, indulge and reflect on the real-time desires—and anxieties—of its citizens,” the studio describes.

The sculpture’s datastore also feeds off of contributions by San Franciscans who can submit their “whispers” directly into the database. The plantlike wall itself comprises a network of steel and acrylic tubing, electronics, animated LED lights and digital displays, glowing with the scrolling secrets of the city by the bay. Below, a few close-ups and Future Lab Cities’ project film for Murmur Wall.