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Now through March 7, the gallery is showing work by Jim Campbell, who figured out how to turn an LED light bulb into a tool for exploring memory, perception, and what it means “to see.”
Campbell is the creator of “Day for Night” — a permanent LED installation across the top nine floors of the 61-story Salesforce Tower in San Francisco. At the time of its unveiling, it was the highest public artwork in the world, visible from 50 kilometers away.
I absolutely loved Jim’s works — they consist of low-resolution LED panels. Sometimes it’s literally just 165 light bulbs across the entire surface. Up close, you only see the bulbs slowly turning on and off, forming abstract patches of color. But step back — and your brain suddenly assembles the visual noise into a walking figure or an ocean wave.
And despite the “digital art” label — with its microprocessors and modern electronic components — his works evoke that warm, nostalgic glow. The simplicity and originality of the idea resonate especially deeply with anyone born in the ’80s.