Client: City of Fort Worth

Overview

As the State of Texas’ first library designated specifically for children and youth, the Reby Cary Youth Library was constructed to facilitate the development of early childhood literacy in the community, which lacked facilities specifically catering to children. Designers created a space of interaction designed specifically for children – not a quiet library – with kid-height library stacks, a stage, maker space, sensory garden and age-group specific areas.

A ceiling-spanning interactive light art installation makes this library stand apart from others of its genre. Titled “Only Connect,” the ceiling-hung work, commissioned by the Arts Council of Fort Worth, was designed and fabricated by Creative Machines under the direction of Joseph O’Donnell. Measuring 121 feet by 6 inches long and 35 feet by 8 inches wide, the work interweaves 20,000 glass spheres that brilliantly shine when light is projected through them. Driving the network of LEDs is a sensor housed in a kiosk that responds with motion and color to people waving their hands, or holding illustrations from children’s books, or to the color of visitors’ clothing.

Goals

This installation supports the City of Fort Worth's overall goal of integrating artwork into each project, making public art accessible to everyone with the aspirational goals of increasing the livability, safety and desirability of Ft. Worth. Through a public call for submissions, Creative Machines was commissioned for the Reby Cary Youth Library installation.
Inspired by Matisse’s painting La Danse, the concept of the art is a net of neurons dancing overhead, symbolizing the ways neurons connect as the mind learns. Spanning the full length of the interior, the piece was integral to the interior design, providing an immersive, beautiful and engaging environment for patrons. Visible through the abundant glass curtainwall, it beckons to passersby and symbolizes the mental and social connections made at the library extending beyond its walls. Interwoven within the neurons are LED lights illuminating both the glass spheres and the ceiling above, transforming the entire reading room into a low-resolution projection screen. Dispersed throughout the library stacks are hidden buttons that trigger an animated sequence of lights, thematically tied to adjacent collections. For example, a button behind a Harry Potter book triggers a swirling purple animation with flashes of golden lights.

Process

The interactive art installation was commissioned for Fort Worth Public Art, a robust public art program managed by Art Fort Worth and advised by the City’s Art Commission. The non-profit and arts commission strive to make public art accessible to everyone with the aspirational goals of increasing the livability, safety and desirability of Ft. Worth’s neighborhoods and the City.

The design process benefited from extensive community involvement, facilitated through a series of ‘town-hall’ style public meetings, surveys, and discussions with local leaders. The neighborhood is just beginning to experience renewal after a period of disinvestment, and the library is a first step in the city’s renewed commitment to the area. Project stakeholders envisioned a library that was truly transformative for the underserved neighborhood, encouraging children to embrace learning, take pride in who they are, and look forward to who they could become, much like the library’s namesake Reby Cary. The artwork installation was an integral part of this mission: encouraging exploration, discovery, integration with technology, and a sense of childlike wonder.

Additional Information

The title Only Connect is taken from EM Forster’s novel Howards End: “Only connect! That was the whole of her sermon. Only connect the prose and the passion, and both will be exalted, and human love will be seen at its height. Live in fragments no longer. Only connect, and the beast and the monk, robbed of the isolation that is life to either, will die.”