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Guildworks | Olivia Guethling Migrations
Outdoor Festival Activation
Taking Flight with Light
After its residency at Burning Man in Nevada, Migrations flew north to Portland, Oregon, to spread its wings at the 2024 Portland Winter Lights Festival. It was already captivating, but lead creators Mar Ricketts and Olivia Guethling knew the installation was capable of a brighter – and more colorful – future.
The 21-foot sculpture created by Guildworks symbolized the brilliance of animal and human migration– a core experience of all living things. It was built with a steel frame and made from architectural fabric. The work of art inspires new perspectives, celebrates the achievement of migration, and creates a sense of wonder among visitors– all while cultivating empathy and understanding for migrators.
Guildworks assembles the bird before installation at Pioneer Square.
Goodbeast worked with Guildworks and Invisible Thread to shape Migrations into a fully immersive experience. Our team transformed the LED art and lighting with AWS IoT, connecting the bird’s lights to the features of its companion website, developed by Invisible Thread.
Users could share their migration stories through the site by writing on digital origami birds, creating an online flock of messages. Visitors could also read each other's messages, and show support by “hearting” origami birds that moved them. We collaborated with the artist Kris Northern to program the giant bird to animate based on the color of the message’s origami paper with each story submitted. When a story was “hearted” the bird’s core would glow and pulse red– showing the bonds of human connection.
Guildworks' Olivia Guethling and Goodbeast teaming up for the bird installation at Pioneer Square.
For two weekends, this interactive art exhibit united thousands of festival-goers through shared stories and experiences. In the heart of Pioneer Square, Migrations stood tall as a guiding light– connecting the community of Portland.
The bird on display at Portland Winter Light Festival.
