The Woods Are Calling

Clerestory Light
Chris Bocchiaro, Zach Dobryn, Greg Hanson, and Megan Kinneen

An urban park is a natural oasis. While carefully manicured gardens and play spaces are an extension of the surrounding built environment, parks can also contain small pockets of wilderness. At night, as plantings hide in the homogeneity of darkness, this connection to the wilderness becomes stronger. With nighttime coming in, the spirit of the woods becomes stronger. Shelf-like fungi emerge from tree trunks, and mushrooms strew the ground, all glowing and pulsing with the life-force of the forest.

About the studio: Clerestory Light is an interdisciplinary design and production studio specializing in creating unique immersive experiences and dynamic landmarks. With backgrounds in theatre, music, technology, architecture, anthropology, and public history, we seek out the spirit of special places and help to tell their stories. Our place-based work finds inspiration in the natural and built environments where it will be installed. Through exploration and collaboration, we distil the elemental narratives of each place and illustrate them through original music synchronized with dynamic light. Our work transforms environments, conjuring the colors of spring in the midwinter, or the traces of magic in the quotidian. This transformation highlights the inherent beauty in each place, and the mission of those who care for them.