Chicopee Center’s Field of Flowers - Creative Lighting Intervention
What’s the light over there?
When the pandemic struck, Chicopee Center was in the early stages of a neighborhood wayfinding and branding project. Chicopee Center is a former industrial mill village, laid out in a radial grid pattern, and is fairly visible from both I-391, I-90 and other high-traffic roadways. A project priority was to rehabilitate the neighborhood’s maligned reputation as being unsafe.
In the early days of the pandemic, hope, and toilet paper, were in short supply. Many communities sought comfort and solidarity through the use of light - vigils, window candles, projections, fires, and lights.
What better way to spark both joy and intrigue than to boldly illuminate the neighborhood skyline in a programable neighborhood-wide light scene. For the local community, the lights would be a symbol of hope and positivity helping to rid the neighborhood of its past misconceptions. For the regional community, it would be a draw to visit the neighborhood to experience its premier neighborhood lighting scene. For those passing through the region on either of the interstates, it would dazzle and beckon the riders to learn more about the playfully lit neighborhood.
The project ultimately was tabled because its scope outgrew the wayfinding and branding project. As the former mill projects of Chicopee Center return to active use, Chicopee should explore ways of encouraging creative lighting interventions are used to highlight the neighborhood.
Field of Flowers at Chicopee Center