Reflecting On Troy

Installation, 2022 — Franklin Alley, Troy, NY (Troy Glow Light Festival)

Reflecting On Troy is an analog light animation projected onto the rear façade of the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, one of Troy, New York’s most iconic historic buildings. A high-powered beam is directed at two motorized stainless steel reflectors, each engraved with Troy-inspired geometries. As the discs slowly revolve, their etched surfaces scatter light into spatial drawings—reflections that merge with the textures of brick and stone to create a living animation in light.

Developed as an urban-scale experiment, the work continues Erel and BenNatan’s exploration into how reflective surfaces can function as tools for drawing. The two stainless steel discs were augmented using an ABB robotic arm and engraved to anticipate specific optical effects. As the lightscape shifts, viewers move through and within it—becoming entangled in the projection as it wraps around the built environment.

The piece was created for Troy Glow Light Festival, curated by Judie Gilmore and Adam Frelin, and funded by The Arts Center of the Capital Region. Contributing to the design and development were RPI Architecture students Shelby Lewis and Owen Lawler, with fabrication support from the RPI Fabrication Labs. The project team included Owen Lawler, Shelby Lewis, Cooper Myers, Eileen Dong, Avner BenNatan, and Yael Erel.

Publications include the LS2023 Proceedings Journal: Urban Illuminations – Light Art Activating the Public Realm and Architecture Lighting Environments – Space With(Out) Light (IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 2024).

Dimensions: 24′ × 40′ × 20′