If you happen to be passing through Manhattan’s Grand Central Terminal over the next two days, you will have the unique opportunity to experience what it’s like to see the Northern Lights in person—minus the cold.
The digital installation is part of a campaign to promote winter tourism to Canada, known for its glaciers, polar bear excursions, and mesmerizing Aurora Borealis. Thanks to an LED floor, mirrored ceiling, 360-degree audio system, and set of 3D sensors, visitors can get a sense of what it would be like to witness one of the world’s seven natural wonders.
[Image: courtesy Destination Canada]The magic itself happens inside a nine-foot-tall black room. The star of the show is a mirrored ceiling that makes the room look twice as tall, and reflects a constellation of light patterns swirling and swaying on the LED flooring below. So when visitors enter the room, they essentially find themselves standing between two layers of Northern Lights. “We came up with the idea to surprise the audience and have the Northern Lights under them, too,” explains Patricia Tremblay, a creative director at Moment Factory.
In the same spirit, the designers opted for a soundscape that doesn’t try to imitate the howling winds of the North. Instead, it features a custom soundtrack with throat singing—a traditional Inuit vocal technique. Led by two teenage girls from Ottawa, Samantha Metcalfe and Cailyn Degrandpré of the singing duo Tarniriik, the music adds a cultural layer to the experience and pays homage to Canada’s Indigenous roots.
Indigenous communities have been especially hit by the devastating impact of Covid-19. Before the pandemic, Indigenous tourism was one of the fastest-growing sectors in Canada, increasing by more than 23% between 2014 and 2017. Now, the industry has lost a third of its workforce and been set back 30 years, according to the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada.
Of course, it’s hard to measure whether a three-day installation in Grand Central can have a tangible impact on tourism. Loree says Destination Canada analyzes the number of times people search for Canada-related destinations, then uses that information to see how it correlates with the number of people who purchase a plane ticket, or book a hotel or experience, through Expedia. It’s not an exact science, but as Loree puts it, “Shame on us if we don’t do something.”
I’ve never seen the Northern Lights in person, and to be perfectly honest, I didn’t know I could experience them in Canada (though in my defense, I come from Europe, and we have Iceland for that). But I now know you can witness the phenomenon across the country, from Newfoundland and Labrador to Yellowknife in the Northern Territories.
My experience in Grand Central wasn’t quite the real deal—but if it were, I wouldn’t have to make the trip.
“Into The Northern Lights: An Immersive Experience” will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on December 10, and from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on December 11.
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