# The Eyes (2014)

The Eyes started life as “The Eyes of Ballston” - a group art project created in collaboration Adam Eig, Lola Lombard, and Bardia Saeedi of Illumination Coalition.

Sixteen aluminum-framed LED eyes were mounted on a custom steel structure just inside the canopy of a magnolia tree in Welburn Square in Ballston, VA. These eyes were the windows into the virtual souls of five electronic creatures.

And these creatures were curious.

Using a connected mobile web application they asked visitors questions and responded to the answers.

A special surprise will awaited those who do decide to indulge the eyes’ curiosity.

The project was funded by a grant from the Ballston Business Improvement District. The project that funded the grant, Public Displays of Innovation, won a Merit Award in the 2015 Downtown Achievement Awards from the International Downtown Association.

Since that initial installation The Eyes have lived on in various ways including a pair living in Branden’s front yard for a while during the height of the 2020 global pandemic.