Client: BLINK

Overview

Rainbow Bridge is a 75-foot wide, 30-foot high, 4-foot deep walkable sculpture covered in multicolored LEDs. Rainbow has 15,000 lbs of steel framing, clad with wood panels painted the iconic colors. At night she sparkles with over 25,000 LEDs, connected by nearly a mile of wiring. Those LEDs display beautiful animations, which react to sound, so the experience of Rainbow is constantly fresh and dynamic. The LEDs can be programmed to display various text, images, and videos; the lights can even interact with external music.

The sides of the Rainbow Bridge have a few steep climbable stairs before reaching the central arching platform. Participants can walk the bridge from either side, engage with one another, and take in the whole view from the apex.

Rainbow Bridge was a landmark to people gathering, dance parties (interacting with the lights), games interacting with the LEDs, and children’s book readings. The arch is a cheerful landmark by day and a stunning light show by night. We love rainbows because they evoke love, magic, hope, inclusivity, and wonder.

Goals

The Rainbow Bridge is meant to bring people together through an impactful way through light, interactivity and play.

Process

The initial build for the debut at Burning Man in 2018 involved dozens of people over the course of a year, including artists, structural engineers (RBHU), welders, and volunteers. There was plenty of designing, cutting, drilling, painting, wiring, coding, and anxious nail biting excitement. Since the 2018 debut, Rainbow Bridge has had the fortune to travel around the country: Art Basel Miami (2018), EDC Las Vegas (2019), and Blink Cincinnati (2019) and more. These installations involve a large trailer, heavy machinery rental, a large generator, and a build crew of about 10 people. Moving and installing the bridge is an art in itself, one that we've honed to happily bring this large, whimsical rainbow to new audiences.