Being an artist and being an entrepreneur have always been a part of my life. Both require love and labor, and an industrious heart. At age 15, I co-founded a cafe in the community where I grew up. I loved the culture it encapsulated more than the sheer brick and mortar of its existence. To me, it was a fantasy of being and way of life - it represented a coming together of people and a convergence of cultures and ideas. Such a space allowed us to share not just a few cups of coffee or tea, but to spill out what is bottled up in each and every one of us - contrary to our default conditioning. My thoughts always raced counter-current.
Bringing people into a new space is daunting enough without the introduction of a new way of being. Only a couple years into my teenage dreams, I had just the right amount of dare and defiance to pursue what my peers saw as impossible things. To inspire people to come together, I designed and assembled an exhibit - a structure of 2,000 light bulbs facing the street, so that every single passerby would notice, and perhaps stop for a moment, to look up and appreciate its light and beauty, to dare to be in awe, and perhaps even step inside.
I didn’t just want to illuminate the streets. I wanted to illuminate our conversations, our culture, and our minds. I wanted to use light to offer a sense of hope, protection, safety, and togetherness.
Visually, a bulb can be seen as fragile - from its thin glass to its thin filaments. A single bulb would be crushed by a flying rock. But an arsenal of thousands of bulbs becomes an army of light and lightness - I designed the structure to bear resemblance to feathers - mixing elements of light and flight. Even the bulbs that are not illuminated - they enhance and reflect the light of those who are luminous. Even the muted bulbs offered ambient light. The physics of it all offered something deeply tangible for my vision.
An arsenal of bulbs also produce a sonic element. A singular bulb is not capable of producing sound by itself. However, when bulbs come together in such quantities suspended in air - they give birth to sounds of bells whenever there is wind. Like gentle wind-chimes and glass bells, they become aural magic.
But the true magic is the coming together not simply of elements, but of people. Everything that this exhibit encompassed is a vision and hope I have for the people that the cafe would serve. Art, is service and serving in many ways. Through the light exhibit, I hoped to create a sense of belonging. I hope that the people could see not just the illuminated bulbs, but how the muted ones also reflect light and carry warmth by simply being next to something luminous. I wanted to light up not just the cafe or the streets, but the people in this town, and most importantly, their minds, lives, and dreams.
Visually, a bulb can be seen as fragile - from its thin glass to its thin filaments. A single bulb would be crushed by a flying rock. But an arsenal of thousands of bulbs becomes an army of light and lightness - I designed the structure to bear resemblance to feathers - mixing elements of light and flight. Even the bulbs that are not illuminated - they enhance and reflect the light of those who are luminous. Even the muted bulbs offered ambient light. The physics of it all offered something deeply tangible for my vision.
An arsenal of bulbs also produce a sonic element. A singular bulb is not capable of producing sound by itself. However, when bulbs come together in such quantities suspended in air - they give birth to sounds of bells whenever there is wind. Like gentle wind-chimes and glass bells, they become aural magic.
But the true magic is the coming together not simply of elements, but of people. Everything that this exhibit encompassed is a vision and hope I have for the people that the cafe would serve. Art, is service and serving in many ways. Through the light exhibit, I hoped to create a sense of belonging. I hope that the people could see not just the illuminated bulbs, but how the muted ones also reflect light and carry warmth by simply being next to something luminous. I wanted to light up not just the cafe or the streets, but the people in this town, and most importantly, their minds, lives, and dreams.