Spring Colors 2021

Written by Garth Zeglin.

I designed this project in February 2021 as a study to show on the bridge for SCS Day 2021. I am presented here as a case study to highlight some techniques for using custom code to scaffold idiosyncratic approaches for dynamic lighting design.

On-Site Documentation

I created this dynamic lighting composition for the Randy Pausch Memorial Bridge on the campus of Carnegie Mellon University. We are still in the midst of a pandemic but the winds of renewal are coming. With this in mind, I used the colors of Spring to create a meditative study in light which reflects on the upcoming greening of the world.

Creative Approach

Early in the process I settled on a few overall assumptions in response to the location and milieu.

1. Center on a theme of renewal expressed through the transition from Winter to Spring.

2. Focus on color, rhythm, and spatial location rather than linear movement.

3. Keep the tone peaceful and meditative.

This led me to make a few choices in approach.

1. Use nature photographs to select the color palette.

2. Plan for a five-minute loop, with a 60 BPM basic pulse like a clock.

3. Design the entire show as a single 2D timeline image (space versus time, viewable below).

Methodology

I chose to use an image editor and custom software solution rather than work within Pharos Designer 2. This was a personal choice; the project could certainly have been programmed using Pharos Designer 2. Instead, I used the commercial Pixelmator Pro application to create an image that was 57 pixels wide and 300 pixels high representing the entire show. I then used my pb_animate_image.py Python script to convert the final image into a video file which could be previewed using VLC media player. I iterative edited the image using this preview workflow until reaching a full result, then imported the final video file into a Pharos timeline for upload to the bridge.

Palette Reference Images

The color palette was selected by picking sets of colors from the following five images available under open licenses:

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Field-with-snow-champ-enneige.jpg

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Crocus-vernum-tumaz.jpg

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hyacinth_-_Anglesey_Abbey.jpg

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pink_Cherry_Blossom.jpg

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RedbudsOhio.jpg

Composition Timeline Image

The full composition is contained in this 57x300 image. Each individual pixel corresponds to one ‘pier group’ of lighting fixtures over a span of one second.

The rendered video file is a lossless “PNG in AVI” format (228x8 pixels, 30 fps) which can play in VLC: Spring-Colors-2021.avi.

Following is a transcoded MPEG-4 version can play in a web browser for preview. Please note this shows artifacts at the pixel edges which are not present in the actual show. It has been upscaled 2X to 456x16 for player compatibility.