"The landscape that envelops Tulsa is indicative of the Midwest experience. The porous nature of the urban environment here reveals a particular density that forms as we breathe in and out of a vast landscape with few geological boundaries. The “firefly” reference is my access to a sense of this place, in search of an occurrence or an incident that joggles our perception and reminds us of our whereabouts. I’m attempting to build an unexpected, yet somehow recognizable phenomenon with luminance, pattern and pace.

 

The magic part of what we see with fireflies in the wild is a vivid sense of purpose that is outside of our comprehension – we are seeing into an alien system of communication that arouses our sense of wonder. Since I am operating inside of our realm of experience and comprehension, what I can do is look for an edge within our perception – a place we are not quickly familiar with. Within this project this edge is defined with a set of devices that seem to want to measure the spaces and surfaces for us. They help us measure ourselves, our movements and our understanding of place.

​

My intent with the TULSA PATTERNS is not to replicate the fireflies, but to find an equivalent system within our terms that can instigate a similar set of subtle surprises. There is a pace, an intensity, and a density that can do this, and my search is to find this balance."

 

- James Woodfill