Light and technology are central to Jim Campbell’s work. Examining the interplay between digital media and human perception, Campbell explores how LED technology and custom electronics can transform public spaces into dynamic, interactive environments. Through his pioneering installations, Campbell invites viewers to engage deeply with abstract forms, challenging conventional notions of light, memory, and space.

Born in Chicago in 1956, Campbell moved to San Francisco after earning degrees in Electrical Engineering and Mathematics from MIT in 1978. Spanning over two decades, his career explores the intersection of digital technology and art, particularly through his innovative use of low-resolution imagery.

Jim Campbell's venture into merging art with technology commenced in the early 2000s, driven by his fascination with LED technology. His works are marked by the use of custom electronics and LED lights, crafting immersive installations that challenge conventional perceptions of light, memory, and space. These low-resolution displays, portraying abstract forms and figures, engage viewers in active interpretation, making them an integral part of the visual experience.

Campbell’s site-specific projects transform public spaces into interactive canvases, seamlessly integrating art into the fabric of everyday life. His innovative approach and distinctive low-resolution aesthetic have positioned him as a prominent figure in contemporary light art. Through the strategic use of technology, Campbell fosters communal experiences that encourage both engagement and curiosity.

Campbell’s work has been exhibited internationally and throughout North America in institutions such as the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; The International Center for Photography, New York; The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles; and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, Australia. His works are included in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC; the Whitney Museum of American Art; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; the de Young Museum, San Francisco; and the Berkeley Art Museum. In 2012, Campbell was honored with the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art’s 13th Annual Bay Area Treasure Award. His accolades include a Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship Award in Multimedia, three Langlois Foundation Grants, and a Guggenheim Fellowship Award. As an engineer, Campbell holds nearly twenty patents in video image processing.

Day For Night is a monumental LED installation by Jim Campbell, situated atop the Salesforce Tower in San Francisco. Spanning the top six floors of the 1,070-foot skyscraper, this piece is the tallest public art installation in the United States, visible from up to 20 miles away. The installation utilizes 11,000 LEDs to project low-resolution, moving color imagery, transforming the San Francisco skyline with a dynamic, ever-changing visual display.

Three Arcs, a site-specific installation located in Raybon Plaza, Water Street Tampa, consists of three curved walls and fourteen individual pods. Each component is embedded with customized LED panels encased within glass enclosures that project diffused video imagery.

Untangled Shadows consists of a large square that has a depth of four feet. The square is made up of 3,000 individually hung LED lit globes that are modulated in intensity to display an image. The globes are arranged so that the center is denser than the outer areas creating a soft circular shape within the rectangle.  Images of birds are displayed on the sculpture for half of the year (spring and fall) and images of swimmers are displayed during the other half (summer and winter).

Scattered Light, originally commissioned by the Madison Square Park Conservancy in New York, consists of individually suspended light bulbs arranged to form a three-dimensional box. This box displays an image of Grand Central Station commuters, visible only from certain perspectives due to the random arrangement of the light bulbs. This installation captures the ephemeral nature of urban life, transforming a simple walk through the park into a contemplative experience.

The Journey is an expansive LED light installation located at the San Diego International Airport. This work, Jim Campbell's largest public art piece to date, features 35,000 blue LED lights arranged in a 750-foot-long, six-foot-wide undulating plane suspended from the ceiling. Installed in April 2013, the ribbon of light guides passengers from the security area to the gate area, floating eleven to twenty-eight feet overhead.