Luminaries

Much of Brookfield Place has been redesigned, with luxury brands supplanting the old stores, and an upscale food court displacing the fast food stalls. "Luminaries" goes hand in hand with the new image of the area west of the World Trade Center, bringing attention to the recent changes and inviting people to take a break from their shopping and even take in a performance on the stage situated at one end of the space.

Made up of 650 LED boxes suspended from tracks, "Luminaries" resembles a long tongue that swoops up toward the circular steps, a remnant of the original Cesar Pelli design. This curve draws people to the steps and to the tables and chairs below the lights; from here the installation gives the huge space an intimacy that people appreciate, at least based on the large number of people present on my recent visit.

The LED lights move through cycles of colors – blues, purples, pinks, white, etc. – at regular intervals according to predetermined themes aligned with the holidays ("Northern Lights" and "Snowfall," to name just two), but visitors can change the colors of the lights at one of the three "wishing stations" scattered among the palm trees. A hand on the touch-sensitive podium creates a "wish" that ripples across the lanterns, an effect heightened when mutliple people make wishes simultaneously and the colors collide with each other.

"Luminaries" is on display at Brookfield Place until 10 January 2016.