Highcross Beacons Digital Sculpture

After an invited competition in April 2015, we were commissioned by Hammerson plc to ‘add vibrancy and relevance’ to St Peter’s Square, which lies at the heart of the Highcross Shopping Centre in Leicester. The brief was to find a way to activate the new urban square, creating a meeting place, making the most of the space and engaging shoppers and passers-by. We worked in collaboration with artist and designer Gabby Shawcross of Studio of Cinematic Architecture (SOCA).

A site assessment led to the realisation that a small area of the square was visible from all four approaches, and that focusing an installation on this footprint would leave room for events and gatherings to take place around it in the future. With the ground plane often obscured by people, the solution was to design a tall sculpture that would become a beacon, drawing people towards it and inviting them to engage with it.

The seven-totem design is visually and physically permeable; from most angles it is an abstract sculpture at the intersection of the four streets. But the separate columns cleverly line up, when viewed from certain angles, to create a flat plane. The digital displays – which wrap seamlessly around each column – will be lit up with interactive animations, specially commissioned artworks and one-off public events. Sensors also detect movement and weather conditions, translating them into images.

Four benches provide additional seating for the square, and complete the vision of a place to meet at, sit on, play in and look at.

We worked with ADI to develop technology-packed columns with digital displays that wrap seamlessly around. Sensors detect movement and weather conditions, which are translated into interactive ambient animations created by The Workers.

Integrated sensors and internet connectivity allow the innovative LED display to automatically adjust to suit current light conditions, react in real-time to passers-by and respond to local weather conditions. The system ensures daytime visibility and avoids disturbance to residents at night. A bespoke content management system allows for simple scheduling of curated content and selected of colourways throughout the day and year.

Key to the concept is that the moving imagery relates to the local community, rather than commercial content typically experienced on screens in the public realm.

The client’s long-term commitment includes curating artwork for seasonal take-overs by local artists and community groups.

Since the launch, St Peter’s Square has been illuminated by a diverse portfolio of artworks, including oversized animated portraits of the people of Leicester, a campaign for World Mental Health Day, a tribute to Leicester’s WWI soldiers for Remembrance Day, patterns to celebrate Diwali, graphics inspired by Memphis Pop, a film for the city’s Everybody’s Reading festival and a film of local lad and European BMX champion Keelan Phillips. In December, Communications Arts students from De Montfort University were invited to create seasonal animations that were shown to an estimated passing audience of two million visitors through the month.