Light up the Square

Downtown Core
From November to December, 2021, Mississauga’s Celebration Square launched Light Up the Square, an annual outdoor, multi-week winter destination festival of lights in Mississauga’s downtown core!

As part of the festival, there was an open call to artists looking for interactive and light-based artworks that could activate the space in Celebration Square. Three artists were selected through this process and their artworks were installed in the square for the duration of the festival:

Carriers by Meghan Cheng. Image credit: Adam Pulicicchio

Carriers is an interactive light sculpture based on a flock of birds taking flight into the sky. The installation allows visitors to see their joys and hardships of the past two years translated into pulses of light and sent out into the world by the birds. The installation is intended to instill a sense of hope for the viewers - it acknowledges the highs and lows we’ve gone through throughout the pandemic and creates something beautiful out of our experiences.

To participate, visitors could type a message through a webpage which was sent to the birds. These messages were then transformed into unique pulses of light that were transmitted through the artwork. Every participant’s output was unique, based on their individual text input.

Beacon Silo by Chris Foster Image credit: Adam Pulicicchio Beacon Silo mimics the iconic silo forms of southern Ontario, gesturing to them in a playful, imaginative way. Housed within the structure, a slowly rotating mirrored sculpture projects dynamic columns of light on to the surrounding landscape. This beacon, both lighthouse and disco ball, is visible from a great distance and creates a constantly changing spectacle throughout the day and night.

Candycombs by Monkey C Interactive. Image credit: Adam Pulicicchio

Monkey C Interactive’s practise centres on engaging experiences that combine technology and art to inspire play, impart a sense of wonder, and reward curiosity. Their work is animated by human activity to ignite conversation, spark imaginations, and create a sense of shared community in public spaces. Candycombs is an interactive dance floor, where users trigger lights and sounds by stepping on the panels, providing a space for participants to come together through music and dance.

For more information, take a look at the project page here.