Bifurcation

Daniel Canogar’s Bifurcation (2020) consists of electric-like bolts of light that zigzag up and down the Zebra Building of the King Abdullah Financial District. Connected to the internet, it reacts in real time to thunderstorms happening around the globe. The artist has created an algorithm that uses real-time data from a storm-tracking webpage. Every time a thunderstorm becomes active somewhere on the planet, a lightning bolt sparks up on the Zebra Building. The bigger the intensity of the storm, the more charged the projected animation becomes. Bifurcation metaphorically becomes a conduit for the planet’s electricity. It also underlines how our built environments and the energy that powers them are more intimately connected to natural sources than we realize.