X

Inside the Bay Lights Project (pictures)

CNET got a chance to see how artist Leo Villareal programmed his forthcoming project, which will adorn San Francisco's Bay Bridge with the world's largest LED installation.

Daniel Terdiman
Daniel Terdiman is a senior writer at CNET News covering Twitter, Net culture, and everything in between.
Daniel Terdiman
BL20.jpg
1 of 16 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

Bay Lights Project

SAN FRANCISCO--On March 5, artist Leo Villareal will formally launch The Bay Lights Project, the world's largest LED installation.
BL18.jpg
2 of 16 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

25,000 LEDs

The Bay Lights Project features 25,000 one-inch LEDs hung on the cables of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in San Francisco.
BL17.jpg
3 of 16 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

Random patterns

The project will consist of a nearly infinite number of patterns that are randomly generated and which play for random periods of time.
BL8.jpg
4 of 16 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

LEDs

A look at some of the LEDs as the hang off the western side of the Bay Bridge.
BL2.jpg
5 of 16 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

Full moon

A near full moon fights through the nighttime fog over the Bay Bridge as the Bay Lights Project delights those who happened to see it being tested.
BL3.jpg
6 of 16 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

All but a few

During testing, the artist and his technician sometimes had trouble getting the lights to work properly. When the bridge would go dark, all that remained on was one vertical line of LEDs on a tower -- and permanent lights on top of the bridge.
BL21.jpg
7 of 16 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

Two years

The Bay Lights Project is slated to run for a minimum of two years, starting March 5.
BL10.jpg
8 of 16 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

All on

A look at the Bay Bridge will all 25,000 LEDs turned on.
BL1.jpg
9 of 16 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

Many directions

The patterns that make up the artistry of the Bay Lights Project can move in any direction, and can get brighter, dimmer, can explode, or dissolve, and can have multiple layers.
BL11.jpg
10 of 16 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

Patterns

A series of patterns move across the bridge.
BL13.jpg
11 of 16 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

Almost all

A pattern of negative space moves across the bridge.
BL14.jpg
12 of 16 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

Library

Artist Leo Villareal has collected a library of patterns, and when the project launches next month, it will be run from a computer mounted on the bridge that serves up patterns randomly and for random amounts of time.
BL23.jpg
13 of 16 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

From anywhere

The Bay Lights Project is designed to be visible for miles. However, it was also designed to be nearly invisible to drivers on the bridge.
BL24.jpg
14 of 16 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

Star Field

Here, we see part of a pattern Villareal calls a "star field," blended with another pattern.
BL25.jpg
15 of 16 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

Multiple patterns

Seen here is evidence that the project can display different patterns on different parts of the bridge.
BL5.jpg
16 of 16 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

One tower

A look at a single tower and the way the LEDs on that tower can be randomly distributed at any given moment.

More Galleries

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera
A houseplant

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera

20 Photos
Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra
magic-v2-2024-foldable-1383

Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra

10 Photos
The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum
Samsung Galaxy S24

The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum

23 Photos
Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design
The Galaxy S24 Ultra in multiple colors

Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design

23 Photos
I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites
img-0368.jpg

I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites

34 Photos
17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About
Invitation for the Apple September iPhone 15 event

17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About

18 Photos
AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?
img-1599-2.jpg

AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?

17 Photos