As the sky turns black and the chill of night creeps in, some disembodied faces will hang in the heart of Edinburgh.

It's the work of Manhattan artist Tony Oursler, whose eerie exhibition will transform urban landscapes for the first time in Scotland.

Edinburgh's George Square will play host to the delightfully ghoulish display, which children and adults alike can explore to the tune of a tinkling glass harmonica.

Characters are projected onto buildings, trees and swirling mist, accompanied by a light display and voices.

Titled The Influence Machine, the piece is described as a "holographic model of human desire and dread".

Originally commissioned by London-based art collective Artangel in 2000, the exhibition will run at the University of Edinburgh's George Square Gardens from 7-9pm on November 23-26.

Oursler's work is studied across various subjects at Edinburgh University, particularly by those using film as a medium.

Acting principal of the Edinburgh College of Art Stuart Bennett said: "The Talbot Rice gallery were very keen to put it on right in the centre of the city.

"There seemed to be a very strong link between the research that goes on in the university and some of the interests that Tony Oursler has in relation to that particular work.

"The way in which the work can transform that space and the impact of the work being public was very important to us as a university - to try to get the sense of the sorts of research that goes on in that central area and how Oursler's work really chimes with what goes on behind closed doors and in buildings."

A pioneer of video art in early 1980s New York, Oursler, 59, specialises in hallucinogenic and radical experimentation, using projection, animation, montage and live action.

As a long-time friend of David Bowie, he created the background videos that played at the singer's 50th birthday party concert and directed the music video for Where Are We Now? - which also featured Oursler's trademark face projection.

He draws on a wide research base including art history, parapsychology, scenography, anthropology, mimetic-technology, phenemology and neuroscience.

Now visitors of all ages are invited to immerse themselves in Oursler's digital environment in Edinburgh, with no guide, be it for five minutes or two hours.

Bennett added: "It will be a slightly eerie experience but in many ways it's not any more scary than reflections on windows or anything we see at night time.

"It's about about how Oursler manages to make us think, particularly in the images of the face - what it does and communication.

"He's very interested in the history of film and video, but he's also interested in the mythologies of passing on stories or old traditions and some of the more magical elements of how we go about understanding the world.

"We thought of a number of different places but it seemed to make sense to us with the location being right in the central part of the city at a time when there's a lot of regeneration going on."

Tony Oursler will be awarded an honorary degree by Edinburgh University on Thursday, following a public talk on Wednesday evening in conversation with James Lingwood.

For more information on event timings and booking visit the Edinburgh University website.