Media Contact:
Nicole Davidow
Live Wire Media Relations, LLC
(703) 519-1600 Ext. 102
ndavidow@livewiredc.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ballston BID Unveils Public Displays of Innovation
Arlington, VA (July 29 , 2014) – The Ballston Business Improvement District (BID) will showcase eight public
installations, or public displays of innovation, that will blend innovative artwork and state of the art technology
together to provide an interactive, cultural experience for Ballston residents and visitors. Each of these
installations will be part of the larger BID project known as Public Displays of Innovation. The first few displays
will be implemented this coming month, with the others being executed over the course of the next six months.
Come September of 2014 the public will be able to use the BallstonConnect mobile app to further interact with
all eight projects.
The BID, which is dedicated to preserving and enhancing Ballston as a vibrant and attractive urban center, has
spent the past two years focusing on entrepreneurship and creating a strong Ballston brand. At the Annual
Meeting this past June, the BID outlined its new strategic focus on the physical fabric of Ballston. The goal is to
bring the Ballston brand to the streets by adding additional charm and sophistication to the neighborhood
through fresh landscaping and unique, contemporary art installations.
“Ballston’s cultural enrichment shines with these creative Public Displays of Innovation,” says Tina Leone, Chief
Executive Officer of the Ballston BID. “They are imaginative and fresh, not to mention eye-catching, additions to
our neighborhood.”
Below are brief descriptions of the upcoming installations:
Missed Connections:
 Artist: Chongha Peter Lee & Blake Turner
 August 7-9 & Fall 2014
 A reflection on romantic life in Ballston, this project takes the form of a date-mining project
using text from the “missed connections” section of craigslist.com which will then be projected
on to various building facades around Ballston.
Beachfront Potential:
 Artist: Patrick McDonough
 August 7-September 2014
 Outwardly consisting of a series of custom lifeguard chairs, the public is invited to sit and
ponder this hypothetical future of rising sea levels and interface with geo-location enabled
content specific to each location. Upon visiting each chair site they will gain access to custom
content using their mobile device-from pedagogical texts to interviews and footage from
scientists and research environments to a web-based game featuring a nostalgic water side
pastime.
Quantum Tours Americana:
 Artist: Benjamin Andrew
 September 2014- no end date
 Residents and visitors can either tune into a sometimes fictional, entertaining account of Ballston’s
history, or time travel to Ballston’s future as they wander the neighborhood with their smartphone.
Site: WA + FC (Ballston):
 Artist: Bluebrain
 September 2014 – no end date
 Using their smartphone, residents and visitors can jam out to custom-designed musical passages
depending on what area of Ballston they are touring.
Urban Oasis:
 Artist: Vera Fahnshtein
 October 2014-TBD
 Those passing by the Nature Conservancy building will be awed by the 60 inch flat screen presenting
lush, green forests with insects, birds and animals appearing as people become active participants – this
oasis of green allows the urban Ballstonians to realize that their actions can have a positive influence on
the environment.
Cloud:
 Artist: Ivica Ico Bukvic and Aki Ishida
 Workshop and Public display from October 2-4
 This engaging community art project invites Ballstonians to create and program cloudlets – metal
lanterns with raspberry-pi processors -- in a day long workshop, after which the lanterns will be installed
at Welburn Square for two days. Here, the public is invited to interact with the lanterns and enjoy a
connective experience using sound and light. On Oct 4, the Cloud will be installed in the lobby of
Virginia Tech’s building at 900 N Glebe Road through October.
Forest of Knowledge:
 Artists: Brandon Hall, Lola Lombard, Adam Eig and Bardia Saeedi
 October 2014 – March 2015
 Residents and visitors can interact with this display of a dozen LED screens as eyes in the trees
around Welburn square day and night. The eyes will share their sadness, joy and laughter. They
will remember the collective mood of those people interacting that day and play it back based
on pre-determined algorithms.
Axon Xylophone Bridge:
 Artist: Alex Braden, Zaki Guhl, Amy Hughes Braden and Yassine El Mansouri
 November 2014 – March 2015
 This project will transform the 9th street pedestrian skywalk into an artistic interpretation of a
nerve signal traveling along the axon of a neuron. When a person walks through the skywalk he
or she will trigger a sensor causing a strip to light up. In addition to the LED lights, a soft bell
sound will be triggered and reverberate. The notes played will change with every additional
person in the walkway thus creating a symphony of color and sound.
About the Ballston Business Improvement District
The Ballston Business Improvement District (BID) is a 25-block neighbourhood of commercial and residential
properties. With more than 8.3 million square feet of office space, one-million square feet of retail space and
8,000 residential units, Ballston offers a range of market-rate options. The BID works to make Ballston a premier
business, cultural and entertaining destination. Ballston’s blend of urban sophistication and neighbourhood
charm is unique to the region, boasting top universities, Fortune 500 companies, the Washington Capitals office
and practice facility and many research organizations surrounded by upscale hotels, retail, green space and
restaurants – all easily accessible by metro and major thoroughfares. For more information about the Ballston
BID, visit www.ballstonbid.com.