Flagstaff’s Streets Transform with Mobile Animations
As darkness falls over downtown Flagstaff during the first three evenings of May, keep an eye out for Chris Johnson, a visual communication professor, who will be roaming the streets with an innovative mobile projection system. His creative endeavor aims to surprise and delight passersby with animations projected in unusual urban spaces.
Johnson embarked on the “Pedal-Powered Projections: Animations on the Move” project in January, funded by ARTx 2026. He ingeniously converted a bicycle and trailer into a self-sufficient, eco-friendly projection unit, ready to bring animated art to diverse settings.
“The system revolves around a bicycle towing a trailer equipped with a projector, battery, and media setup,” explained Johnson. “It’s completely self-contained, enabling me to project in various locations. The animations, often circular, resonate with the bicycle’s mechanics and broader concepts of cycles and systems.”
Johnson’s innovation is spotlighted at the ARTx: Art + Ideas Experience, a Flagstaff festival blending art, science, and community from May 1-3. This event features interactive, multidisciplinary installations citywide. During the festival, Johnson will project animations on surfaces throughout downtown, creating unexpected art encounters.
“Instead of inviting people to a gallery, this project brings the gallery to them,” Johnson stated. “Whether stumbled upon or sought out, the aim is to craft surprising artistic moments in everyday places. Art is everywhere; it’s not confined to venues but can be experienced spontaneously.”
Key to the project is its accessibility: free, outdoors, and available to all. Johnson’s passion for environmental storytelling and his desire to reimagine animation underlie his work.
“Much of my work explores ecology, adaptation, and systems,” he explained. “I wanted a format where these ideas could extend beyond traditional screens. Projecting on a tree, for instance, changes the image as the surface isn’t neutral; the tree’s texture and movement influence the image. In an early test, it felt like the tree interacted with the projection, altering my perspective on the artwork.”
Johnson emphasizes the project’s originality, with projections adapting to the surfaces they encounter. These subtle, immersive images invite viewers to pause amid city life, encouraging a fresh perspective on their surroundings.
“Projected imagery transforms with environmental surfaces,” Johnson noted. “The final image isn’t entirely controlled by me; it emerges from the interplay between light and landscape. This shifts authorship from solely the artist to a collaboration between projection and environment.”
Post-ARTx, Johnson plans to craft new animations tailored to this format. He envisions expanding the project through collaboration with other artists, potentially adding interactive or augmented elements to further explore themes of movement, ecology, and perception.
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