Pixel Vortex, created by Brooklyn-based collective Windmill Factory, invited guests to play with LED balloons that swirled in a wind vortex. The installation was also accompanied by an aura-reading box, where guests could place their hands under a metal pad that was connected to a camera. Once the camera flashed a picture of the participant, the colors inside the installation changed based on that person's aura reading.
As with past years of the festival, a major draw for attendees was the Lab—a group of digital, immersive art installations created by New York artists and designed and curated by Meta.is. Whereas previously guests had to experience each installation chronologically in a giant dome, this year installations were housed outside and in three mini domes. Attendees were able to explore the area in "choose your own adventure" style. "Infinite Wild," an outdoor installation created by artist collective Smooth Technology, was created with 60,000 LED cables that drew power from solar panels.
Superbright, a company that specializes in augmented- and virtual-reality production, created "Dance For Us," an immersive dance floor experience that invited attendees to dance in front of changing digital graphics. Dancers were recorded with motion capture data, and their silhouettes could be viewed outside of the installation in an accompanying A.R. app.
"Portal to Flatland," created by Brooklyn-based duo Magenta Field, was housed in a tunnel and served as a “pre-show” to the film screened in the Lab’s main dome. A combination of sound and lights that changed in different patterns and colors were meant to “transport” guests to the presentation.
