Umbra Transit uses real-time data to track the changes of the sun and moon as they cycle through their pathways in the sky. It interacts with the environment by representing these changes with light, colour, shape and shadow. By day, the large flower structure acts as a sundial, tuned to this very location. By night, it’s an electric moon dial, showing the changing seasons, phases and locations of the sun and moon – like a dynamic almanac. Visitors are encouraged to engage with the exhibit by walking close to the exhibit, bringing it to life by triggering a glow of colourful lighting effects.
Inscribed on sundials throughout history are mottos. On this one it reads: Umbra Transit Lux Manet which means The Shadow Passes, The Light Remains. Umbra Transit is a symbolic allusion to the cyclical nature of renewal, discovering our understanding of the sun, phases and shadow as concrete symbols that connect us to the solar system we live within.
Artists
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Melissa Joakim
M. Joakim is a light artist and composer working in Toronto. She has extensive experience in lighting and projection design for live theatre, dance performance and concerts. She is a Dora Mavor Moore Award recipient for Scenic Design and she is actively touring internationally. Her solo work primarily focuses on lighting and sound as waveforms that occupy space, fostering a holistic connection to self, others, and the Earth.
