There’s magic in the air at Progress Bar, Chicago, magic weaved – or rather screwed in – by Canadian artists Wayne Garrett and Caitlind r.c. Brown and their electrifying Cloud Ceiling installation.
The pair from Calgary burst onto the scene last year with their 6,000 bulb interactive Cloud sculpture, and for this encore they have upped the voltage to 15,000 bulbs, along with LEDs, reflective materials and motion sensors. It’s the latter that hold the key to the effectiveness of the Progress Bar project; when customers stimulate the sensors there is a visible effect in the cloud, giving the effect of lightning shooting through the sky. It’s the undoubted centrepiece of an otherwise very smart, modern interior.
When patrons aren’t staring at the ceiling of the Boystown bar, they’ll be staring at an impressive range of beer taps and a cocktail list as long as your arm. One drawback: you’ll have to put up with awestruck passers-by pressing their noses to the glass.
Photography, Caitlind r.c. Brown
