I’m a big fan of CityCenterDC for the delicious restaurants, amazing shopping (oh, the shopping), and the innovative seasonal displays!
And this time around, they’ve really outdone themselves. It’s called Loop, and it's self-described as a “cross between a music box, a zoetrope, and a railway handcar.”
I would recommend coming at night to discover the full magical beauty of this interactive installation. The artists who created Loop are world-renowned for their work. Olivier Girouard and Jonathan Villeneuvefirst presented this installation in a festival in Montreal, Canada, and it is on display in Washington, D.C., from now until September 16.
The coolest part of this exhibit is that you can actually sit in the “loop” and interact with it. Here’s how it works:
“The retro-futuristic machine plays animated fairy-tale loops set in motion when visitors work the lever together. When the cylinder starts spinning, it lights up, making the series of still images appear to move. A flickering strobe effect accompanies the black and white images, like in the very first motion pictures. The animation is visible from inside or outside the cylinder and can be viewed from up close or far away. The speed at which the images move, the frequency of the flickering and the tempo of the music are determined by how fast the participants move the lever.”
How cool is that? It’s like you’re actually in your own magical fairyland that’s moving (though, in actuality, it’s not!).
The installation is completely free to check out and try. Just remember that it’s pretty popular, so you may have to wait your turn.
Courtesy of citycenterdc.com
CityCenterDC is located at 825 10th St. NW, Washington, D.C., 20001. Click here to discover the myriad of ways to get there (Metro, bike, car parking, etc.)!
Are you planning to go see the Loop installation? Let us know in the comments below!
