Luminous Passage: Night Migration is a site-specific light installation rooted in data visualization and inspired by the migratory bird species that travel through the Hackensack River watershed. Drawing from research provided by Cornell’s Ornithology Lab, NOAA, and local bird counts, I created images based on 63 local species that are Neotropical and also migrate primarily at night. They traverse every type of border, and participate in interspecies flocking behavior once they reach their winter home in Central or South America.

The installation blends ecological data with projection mapping, animation, and hand-cut-style silhouettes; referencing pre-photographic image-making methods. The patterns suggest cooperation, mobility, and shared knowledge across species, geographies, and cultures. These birds, and the journeys they represent, serve as an allegory for freedom, collaboration, and interconnectedness in both nature and society.

Creating this piece meant that after the images were drawn out, there was still a lot of technical work to be done: navigating design, fabrication, and light behavior for a highly unusual site. I was fortunate to have two excellent assistants and a generous fabricator who helped me test equipment and mount designs on the roof, usually in the rain.

Public art requires community. I’m grateful to Arts Bergen, Main Street Business Alliance, Monocle Group, our incredible fabricator, electricians, and civic partners who believed in bringing a different kind of light to this space. The result is a functional, atmospheric piece that gives viewers the opportunity to reflect on the natural and civic systems we’re all part of.

On view long term: Hackensack, NJ Main Street-Moore street walkway, at 210 Main Street.