Pedestrian Levitation is based on the movement of pedestrians on a public space. Some pedestrians walk only on the sidewalk and use the pedestrian crossing for crossing the street, other pedestrians freely make shortcuts on the formally imposed traffic situation. Pedestrian Levitation is an artwork in public space that reflects on this movement. It visualizes the real movement of people, and adds a virtual movement based on the assumption that people's mind is not subject to gravity or any other physical limitations.

Thomas Laureyssens - Pedestrian Levitation Research ( Video, 2005, full version: 9m32s)

The bird-eye video Pedestrian Levitation Research of was recorded on the roof of a building and analysed frame by frame with animation software. A pattern of movement of the pedestrians was extracted by reworking this recording frame by frame with video animation software: it is as if pedestrians draw lines though the space. From this pattern, some dominant directions can be found. These directions will not be exactly what the urbanist foresaw when designing the public space at the location, but be the real flow, the real use of the city by its inhabitants.

The movement of the pedestrians could be regarded as force-vectors thought the space. A person's trajectory from A -> B is nearly never a straight line, as many obstacles are in the way (like buildings), imposed trajectories (pedestrian crossings, sidewalks) and physical limitations (gravity). At this point a question is asked: how would the pedestrians move when they were not limited by anything?

The pattern that was obtained by the Pedestrian Levitation Research video was the basis of an installation in public space.

Thomas Laureyssens - Pedestrian Levitation (installation near Place Flagey, Brussels (2005)

The video Pedestrian Levitation Research was featured at the following exhibtions:

2009-2010: "360" (traveling exhibition) (by RASA), Belgium.
2009: "Urban Emotion", Thurn & Taxis, Brussels, Belgium
2008: "Movements in urban space", Nederlandstalige Bibliotheek van Elsene, Belgium. With David Helich.
2007: "Site", Mitchell & Kenyon Cinema, Lancashire, UK (Pedestrian Levitation Research)
2007: "Urban play", Trampoline, Notthingham, UK. (Pedestrian Levitation Research)
2006: Video circuit "PowerPlays/Sites of Elasticity", Lommel, Belgium. (Pedestrian Levitation Research)
2005: "Mind in Matter", OpenSource gallery, Champaign, Illinois (Pedestrian Levitation Research)
2005: Belgian Focus, Argos Festival, Brussels (Pedestrian Levitation Research)

This project was made possible with the support of the city of Elsene (Dienst Nederlandstalige aangelegenheden, Pascal Dufour)