City Museum unveiled a new art installation this week in its outdoor MonstroCity section. Talking Heads offers two heads roughly ten feet tall, each with more than 4,000 individually controlled LED lights. Created by immersive light artist Viktor Vicsek, co-founder of the digital media company Limelight, the piece was formerly installed in Amsterdam, Budapest, Norrköping, Montreal, Hong Kong and Toronto.
Nearly a year ago, Limelight reached out to City Museum to see if they would like to display the heads. On Monday, the museum hoisted them up on the second floor balcony using a crane.
Maria Cassilly, City Museum’s manager of special exhibits, says the heads communicate emotions through different patterns of LED lights.
“Unlike people, these Talking Heads don’t do it by means of muscles, but through all the possibilities of light,” Cassilly says.
The philosophy behind the project is that cultural transmission is the oldest form of communication. Art communicates across cultures and time without verbal language.
But don’t expect these heads to stay in St. Louis forever. “We don't have a set date for them to leave but when they do leave, they’ll go just as suddenly as they appeared,” Cassilly says.
Scroll down to see Talking Heads in their new home.
