Mare Hirsch // Transition Networks
Transition Networks is a generative light installation that explores the complexity and unpredictability of the trans experience, specifically focusing on the process of transitioning. Each node in a digital grid is mapped to an individual LED fixture, forming a network of lights that pulse, flicker, and cascade in response to indeterminately programmed behavior. The software behind the installation governs this behavior, creating a dynamic, cyclical interplay between the lights, much as one event in a person’s transition can trigger a chain reaction of emotions, decisions, and self-discovery.
At the heart of the piece is the concept that transitioning is not a straightforward path. There are moments of stillness and pauses, interspersed with bursts of activity, change, and uncertainty. The lights interact with one another in a complex, non-linear way, reflecting the periodic and often unpredictable nature of personal growth and identity formation. Much like the lights, transitioning is marked by starts and stops, where seemingly small actions ripple outward, creating meaningful and sometimes unexpected changes.
As the network of lights pulses and shifts, the control software generates constantly changing geometric symbols, each composed of simple, structured line segments. These symbols, while orderly in appearance, are never repeated in the same way, reflect a constant flux, where structure and uncertainty coexist.
In Transition Networks, the grid of lights pulses at irregular intervals, creating overlapping patterns that evoke the idea that progress is not always visible, but is happening nonetheless. Some lights brighten quickly, while others dim slowly, echoing the ebb and flow of emotion and experience, the uncertainties, and the milestones that shape the process of transition. Through the visual articulation of non-linear transformation, this piece offers an invitation: a moment to reflect on the mechanics of transition and the broader implications of how we understand identity, change, and connection.
At the heart of the piece is the concept that transitioning is not a straightforward path. There are moments of stillness and pauses, interspersed with bursts of activity, change, and uncertainty. The lights interact with one another in a complex, non-linear way, reflecting the periodic and often unpredictable nature of personal growth and identity formation. Much like the lights, transitioning is marked by starts and stops, where seemingly small actions ripple outward, creating meaningful and sometimes unexpected changes.
As the network of lights pulses and shifts, the control software generates constantly changing geometric symbols, each composed of simple, structured line segments. These symbols, while orderly in appearance, are never repeated in the same way, reflect a constant flux, where structure and uncertainty coexist.
In Transition Networks, the grid of lights pulses at irregular intervals, creating overlapping patterns that evoke the idea that progress is not always visible, but is happening nonetheless. Some lights brighten quickly, while others dim slowly, echoing the ebb and flow of emotion and experience, the uncertainties, and the milestones that shape the process of transition. Through the visual articulation of non-linear transformation, this piece offers an invitation: a moment to reflect on the mechanics of transition and the broader implications of how we understand identity, change, and connection.
