Canopy of 3,000 colourful twinkling LED lights illuminate Robson Square

Canopy of 3,000 colourful twinkling LED lights now illuminate Robson Square

"Canopy" catenary lights at Robson Square Plaza. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

After being installed earlier this month, the dazzling catenary lights suspended above Robson Square Plaza in downtown Vancouver are now fully illuminated.

The project by Downtown Van (the local business improvement association) spans the entire plaza on the south side of the Vancouver Art Gallery between Howe and Hornby streets.

And, as it turns out, there are nearly 3,000 programmable LED lights on the catenary system, with the lights turned on 24/7 – even during daylight hours – and cycling through 15 patterns every five minutes.

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Of course, the lights are most impressive during the nighttime hours, providing illumination during the darkest months of the year and animating one of Vancouver’s busiest spaces for pedestrian traffic, encouraging passersby to linger in the plaza.

Another look at the new Canopy of 3,000 programmable LED lights now twinkling above Robson Square Plaza. 🌈💡https://t.co/3FAPSyMaXn pic.twitter.com/YQ7BJu9q3W

— Kenneth Chan (@iamkennethchan) November 29, 2023

Video footage of Downtown Van’s project of illuminating Robson Square Plaza with 3,000 programmable LED lights. 💡🌈 #vanpoli 2/2https://t.co/3FAPSyMaXn pic.twitter.com/L9VfGFt5i1

— Kenneth Chan (@iamkennethchan) November 28, 2023

800 robson square plaza canopy catenary lights

“Canopy” catenary lights at Robson Square Plaza. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Joshua Davidson, the director of operations for Downtown Van, says this project has been in the making for about three years.

“We’re excited to see the hard work of our Placemaking and Public Spaces team finally come to life,” he says. “We thought it was time for the downtown Vancouver catchment to have its own ‘trademark’ installation, and Robson Square Plaza was the perfect place to put it.”

The public art installation has been given the apt name of “Canopy,” which was designed and installed by Vancouver-based immersive digital lighting studio Tangible Interaction.

“Drawing from the natural world, the lights are programmed to emulate the mesmerizing movement of salmon swimming upstream and the awe-inspiring spectacle of the aurora borealis,” reads a statement by Tangible Interaction. “While Canopy is technologically advanced, its primary goal is to echo the beauty of these natural phenomena, offering a moment of pause and reflection for passersby.”

“Canopy” catenary lights at Robson Square Plaza. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

With the programmable ability, the lights can celebrate different events, seasons, and times of day.

But as impressive as it may be, Canopy is intended to be a temporary installation – it will remain in place until the end of February 2024.

The design studio also previously worked with Downtown Van on the “Field” interactive lighting and sound installation in the laneway behind the Orpheum Theatre.

Tangible Interaction was also behind Science World’s temporary “OH!” interactive public remote control for changing the geodesic dome’s exterior lighting and Hudson Pacific Properties’ mushroom-like LED illuminated fixtures of the Dunsmuir Patio at Bentall Centre.

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