Operator, Get Me Urban Light

October 7, 2009

Last year I had the pleasure of meeting Ashish Soni, Director of USC’s IT department, and his colleague Trina Gregory, just as they were launching the first ever iPhone application class at the school. The timing was particularly serendipitous as the LACMA team had an idea for a playful app based on the Celebrating Urban Light project. Since Chris Burden's Urban Light, a sculpture comprised of 202 vintage Southern California streetlamps, has become a key L.A. art experience, we thought it would be great to create a virtual flipbook that could serve as a (free) memento of the encounter. And, for those that can’t easily make it to the museum, you could have a chance to see what all the fuss is about.

Ashish’s students took on our idea and ran with it. Chris Guitarte, Rachel Wagoner, Susana Ruiz, and Rokhsan Shafiei knocked us out with their hard work and professionalism, and now the fruits of their labor are ready for you all to pluck. Check out Urban Light from Day to Night in the iTunes app store. It’s a new, beautiful (and did I mention free?) way to look at this already iconic work of art.


Allison Agsten