Chicago premiere of The Kuramoto Model -- a public art/bike event

Dear chainlink - Chicago Critical Mass posted this letter I sent them about my upcoming cycling-centered public art event, and you might be interested as well:

I've made 250 special blinking LED bike lights that synchronize their blinking patterns with other nearby lights of the same kind. The idea is inspired by the leaderless ethos of Critical Mass -- the lights synchronize without a central coordinator and are an example of what complexity science calls a "self-organizing system." The intent is to demonstrate the invisible but important connections within the cycling community and visually call attention to the importance of cycling as an alternative and non-hierarchical transit system.

On Friday, September 27, the same day as the scheduled Chicago Critical Mass, these lights will be distributed at the EdgeUP arts festival in Edgewater/Uptown, curated by Tricia Van Eck and part of Chicago Artists Month (http://chicagoartistsmonth.org). There will be a 9PM gathering of cyclists with lights at 1050 W Wilson, alongside other art, entertainment, drinks, and food trucks. Last year, we made 1,000 of these lights for a festival in Minneapolis, and the project was awarded an Honorary Mention in Interactive Art for the 2013 Prix Ars Electronica in Linz, Austria. The new lights are compatible with the Minneapolis lights, many of which are still on the streets there.

This year's Chicago version is smaller and a bit different. Because of a generous grant last time, we were able to give most of these lights away for free (awesome). This year, however, we're trying to recoup the materials costs by selling the lights for the cost of the materials: $15 each. If this is successful, we hope to expand to other cities in the near future. Just to be very clear - this is an art project and not a money-making enterprise -- it's a labor of love.

So, we need your help! We really want to get these lights out there in Chicago. Please pass this on to people who might be interested in buying their own lights and joining us on Friday, and don't hesitate to contact me with any questions, concerns, or comments.

Here's where you can buy the lights:

https://squareup.com/market/1-000-fireflies

Here's the Facebook event page:

https://www.facebook.com/events/506922112730748/

And here's the project website:

http://1000fireflies.net

Thanks much, and I hope to see you on the streets of Chicago on Friday!