Many people may decry the slow and painful death of art and culture in today’s increasingly materialistic society. Many people may assume that creative expression and rampant commercialism are oceans apart from one another and never the twain shall meet. The folks at Metropolis at Metrotown couldn’t disagree more, as evidenced by the new Lightroom art installation.
Located on the lower level of the Grand Court (halfway between Toys R Us and T&T Supermarket), the Lightroom is mean to celebrate the International Year of Light, borrowing inspiration from Yayoi Kusama’s mirror infinity room and the Social Soul experience from last year’s TED conference. Stepping inside, you are offered the illusion of being surrounded by thousands of twinkling lights, as well as some images from your own Twitter or Instagram feed for a unique “visual experiential event.” A walkthrough takes just 60 seconds.
Our family got to experience the Lightroom earlier this week. It wasn’t quite as impressive as I had hoped — I thought the social media integration would be more pronounced and the digital screens would be bigger — but it’s still an interesting expression of art that marries into the modern connected lifestyle.
You may have also noticed the use of the hashtag #METLightroom. That’s because customers who upload a photo to Twitter or Instagram using that hashtag will be entered into weekly draws for gift cards, as well Celebration of Light VIP tickets and a $1000 grand prize shopping spree.
The “experience” will be staffed by a team of volunteers from the Burnaby Neighbhourhood House in exchange for a $10,000 donation from the Metropolis at Metrotown Community Investment Fund. The Lightroom is free and runs from 12pm to 7pm daily until September 7.
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