Participant during Invisible Threads are the Strongest Ties, October 16, 2021, Halifax Harbour front, Halifax Nova Scotia, Canada. Images courtesy of the Nocturne Festival.

Anonymity and distance can often characterize the ways in which individuals move through physical spaces, their daily routines, and behaviours. Mundane tasks: a commute to work; a stop for a coffee; grabbing lunch. However, by elevating an element of chance connection with others during into such tasks, there is potential to amplify the connection or curiosity of others with whom we share space, interact with, and form community.

Enhancing the intersection of strangers as a means to disrupt the patterns in which one exists and amplify the moments that may otherwise be lost in the repetition and routine, and seeks to create curiosity about community and others that we share our communal spaces and routines with; to acknowledging chance ―situated-ness and temporality of interaction― and the creation of a varied experience in its retelling.

Invisible Threads are the Strongest Ties, includes the development of an expanding series of beacons that respond to each other by changing colour and becoming brighter when they are closer and dimmer when they are further apart. The building, programming, and aesthetics of the beacons have included personal learning in various disciplines, and with mentorship from makers, designers and entrepreneurs.

To date, there have been two activations of the beacons, including When it is Necessary to Stand Still (2020) in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, and Invisible Threads are the Strongest Ties (2021) in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

In addition to activations, there is ongoing research taking place around the design and technology used in the beacons, and visualizing the data produced as a bi-product of the activations.