Drenthe is one of the greenest provinces in the Netherlands
Do you have a trip to the Netherlands planned soon? In that case, it will be worth visiting the drouwen forest , in the province of Drenthe. The WERC art collective has wanted to fill the dark Dutch winter nights with mystery and light with **a light installation called 'Pixi'**. For the curious, it is available from October to June 2018 but only at nightfall...
Pixi Drenthe from WERC on Vimeo .
the pixies , in British folklore, are small fairies that live in the woods . The name could not be better for this project, because when one of the visitors grab a flashlight and the rest of the Pixies begin to activate, it seems that hundreds of goblins come out to receive you.
'Pixi', the new project of the artistic collective WERC
If yours are the walks between trees in the moonlight but phone screen or explorer flashlights break that bucolic atmosphere you want to enjoy, we propose the perfect alternative: 'pixie' . Around 1000 LED lights , placed in a diamond-shaped wooden box, blend in with nature and dotted with red specks the darkness of the forest creating a magical setting.
This digital organism He is inspired by complex patterns that exist in nature, such as flocks of birds or schools of fish . With 'Pixi', WERC wanted to find out whether a technical phenomenon can mimic the complex aesthetics of nature . And so it has been, they have managed to create a symbiosis between digital technology and mother nature.
Every pixi looks like a scarlet diamond
when we observe a bunch of pixies , there are no perceptible behavior patterns. But when we step back and look at them as a whole, the connections between them become clear and visible . Shapes, directions, and colors are decided by the group by signals passed from one to another. through radio waves . When a Pixi receives a message, she interprets it and then sends it. This creates a live feedback network similar to a neural network. WERC only provides the framework in which the Pixies then act freely creating an infinite number of light combinations and complex images.
Pixies blend in with their surroundings
How do they work? Simple, they have a battery that provides them with power to work during the fall and winter months. They sleep during the day and wake up at night when a visitor picks up a Pixi flashlight in the woods. “The Pixi flashlights are on site, so you have adjustable light bulbs at foot height in the dark forest, to prevent in this way the light of normal and mobile lanterns. Each group of visitors takes two of these lanterns which in turn communicate with the Forest Pixies, letting them know that visitors are on their way. This works like this so that the Pixies are active only when visitors are present and do not react to animals ”, he clarifies Olav Huitzer , one of the founders of WERC Collective, to Condé Nast Traveler Spain.
The Pixies wake up at nightfall
The Staatsbosbeheer (Protected Sites Management Council) purchased the 'Pixi' facility to transform the forest into an exciting place . When the facility was built, tested and installed, Staatsbosbeheer and WERC took into account how 'Pixi' influences the environment . An independent agency was commissioned to carry out an ecological checkup . In this way, variables like light intensity, color and placement were adjusted to minimize this influence.
the tickets They cost €14.50 and are available to buy **here**. Drouwen is about two and a half hours from amsterdam . You can not lose this!
You can enjoy this show until June 2018