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A new light sculpture in Arizona, inspired by the swarming of fish and flocking of birds

London-based art and design collective toyStudio has created a new light sculpture installed in the heart of Scottsdale, Arizona, inspired by the swarming of fish and flocking of birds.

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All images courtesy of toyStudio

All images courtesy of toyStudio

On display until January, Swarm was commissioned by Scottsdale Public Arts and made especially for this year’s Canal Convergence – an annual lights festival along the city's waterfront which draws more than a quarter-million visitors.

The installation, nestled between trees on either side of the historic canal, mimics the flocking behaviour found in schools of fish and flights of birds. This swarming behaviour is expressed by opaque tubes during the day and by night, the LED tubes illuminate, dancing and flickering as if the swarm is alive.

"Our design philosophy is to find mathematical and scientific theories, or natural process and re-apply those rules in sculptural forms," says Toby Plunkett, co-founder of toyStudio. "In this case, the basic models of flocking behaviour were computationally recreated. 'Agents' positioned in a virtual environment, controlled by three simple rules: Separation, alignment and cohesion, were able to interact with themselves and their environment.

"By tracking and recording these journeys, and aggregating/combining these into a single path, Swarm is able to represent the dynamic flocking motion in a frozen form."

ToyStudio's Swarm light sculpture illuminates along Scottsdale's canal at dusk, with pink LED tubes reflecting in the water between palm trees and mountains beyond
Illuminated white LED tubes suspended above a canal at twilight, mimicking flocking patterns with palm trees lining the waterway below in Scottsdale, Arizona
Glowing white neon tubes suspended above a canal at night, arranged in dynamic swooping patterns that reflect in the water below, flanked by illuminated trees and a building on the waterfront
Illuminated white LED tubes strung above a canal at night form undulating wave patterns, reflecting in the water below with palm trees and buildings visible in the background
Person with dark hair viewing toyStudio's Swarm light sculpture, featuring illuminated white tubes and golden LED lights suspended over a canal at night
Swarm light sculpture by toyStudio at night, with illuminated LED tubes creating wing-like shapes on either side of a canal, with warm-lit palm trees below
Illuminated white LED tube sculpture mimicking bird and fish flocking behaviour suspended above a canal at night, with trees and lit buildings reflected in the water below
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