Heartbeat

A few weeks ago, I walked past Madison Square Park and saw that there were dozens and dozens of theater lights hung low, about waist-high, around the perimeter of the Oval Lawn. I wasn't sure what it was, until I walked past at night and all of them were lit, softly flashing in a silent rhythm.

A friend of mine told me he'd heard they were heartbeats, and he was right. Artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer installed the lights and connected them to a device that measures your pulse. Then they all sync up to reflect your heartbeat, casting light across the lawn. If that's not the most beautiful thing you've ever heard of, you're a stone.

So my friend and I met up on Monday night to see it in its last hours.


We stepped up and wrapped our hands around a Pulse-O-Meter (my word, that's not official) and soon the leftmost pair of lights started beating like a heart.


Soon the rest of the lights joined in and the whole park was a flashing pulse. This little girl was lovin' it!


It was beautiful, ethereal, fleeting.


And here's a gorgeous illustrative photo courtesy of NYMag to give you an even better idea.


But there's no need to imagine; here is video:



love,
*jenna*