In collaboration with Parks for Downtown Dallas, local arts organization Aurora is hosting ANTIBODIES, an interactive digital sculpture from Montreal-based artist Daniel Iregui. It will be located in the West End Square, a former surface lot at Market and Corbin streets that has been transformed into a nearly 1-acre urban oasis. The artist-run festival and West End’s Historic District collaborated to debut this inaugural project in the public green space.
The multimedia wall is the first project featured in the east section of the park, which was designed for temporary digital artworks. Parks for Downtown Dallas hopes this West End project will establish the standard for future works from local, national, and international guest artists.
The award-winning artist used coding as well as audio and lighting components to produce the piece. His work relies upon participation from the viewer. Composed of motion sensors and LED lights, ANTIBODIES watches visitors’ faces and recommends a facial expression based on their movement patterns.
“In a time when we’re missing in-person interactions, Iregui’s work will bring an element of interactive play to this fantastic new public space,” said Joshua King, Aurora’s executive director. “Iregui is paving an excellent path for the creative ways that artists will utilize West End Square’s Innovation Arcade going forward.”
Amy Meadows, the CEO of Parks for Downtown Dallas, heralded the project as a merger of “our organizations’ missions to support innovation, creativity, and community in the public realm.” West End Square is located near the century-old Market Ross Place buildings, which, in 2020, received a nearly $4 million overhaul. Construction for the park began in January of 2020. It was designed to match the startup and technology industries that have moved into the historic neighborhood.
In addition to the interactive public art space, there are native blackland prairie grasses, a game room (once it’s safe), a water feature, a shaded outdoor workroom, and a lawn.
The public art installation will be up from March 26 to April 4. The project is connected to an online component hosted on the art festival’s website. Social distancing and masks are required at the exhibit.
