Curiosity Cloud – mischer’traxler Studio
(Dezeen Article)

This installation is an interactive design piece that uses lighting and sound in combination with infrared sensors to create an interactive soundscape that is activated by the audience. The piece consists of 264 blown-glass bulbs that are suspended from the ceiling at different heights and have a ring of LEDs to give the illusion of light bulbs. The glass bulbs contain hand-fabricated “insects” that start flying around when people approach the bulbs. Additionally the bulbs light up and the movement of the insects within the bulbs creates a unique soundscape that changes based on which bulbs are active and how the insects are moving.

The installation stands out as a piece that uses lighting as a backdrop to create a more rich human experience. As the bulbs light up, viewers are drawn to the insects, which are in turn moving in response to the audience approaching them. This develops an interesting call and response pattern which allows people to engage with the piece in multiple ways. Additionally the changes in height make it more accessible for children as well as taller adults by holding some bulbs at their eye-levels. There is a passive experience gained by watching the installation light up and produce a soundscape as throngs of people travel through it, but also a more direct experience that comes from people approaching different insects that appeal to them and seeing that they are the ones bringing the installation to life.

Light Pollination – Universal Assembly Unit
(Dezeen Article)

This installation uses LED lighting and fiber optics along with hidden photosensors that take in outside light and create light trails that ripple throughout the LEDs in the installation. There are around 20,000 individual points of LED lights that are articulated and controlled by custom built software that takes input from the sensors and “pollinates” it across the installation by causing the LEDs to light up in bursts. The movement and intensity of these ripples and bursts is determined by the intensity of the light being shone onto the sensors.

This piece functions slightly differently as a passive piece than it does as an interactive one. If someone without a light approaches it they can still have casual interactions with the piece by watching the light pulsate and running their hands through the fiber optics. In addition they can cast shadows over the installation and manipulate it to some minimal effect by reducing the light some of the sensors receive. However, the active viewer is able to create multiple different reactions using their phone or some other light source by moving further or closer to the installation or by changing the brightness of their device in addition to these passive interactions. The installation mimics human interactions with nature, revealing certain interactions that we know well but hiding certain mechanisms, such as in the opaqueness of the programming and the hiding of the sensors. Just as the average person knows that moths are attracted to light and that a firefly can light up without necessarily knowing the science behind it, this installation creates a spectacle and invokes a sense of wonder by hiding just enough of how it works from the viewer.

BIG ♥ NYC

This Valentine’s Day installation in Times Square was designed by the famous international architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) in collaboration with smaller local firms in New York City. It is made of several transparent LED-lit acrylic tubes in a cubical pattern that surround a suspended sculpture of a giant red heart. To make the heart pulse with light, users place their hands on a touch pad that can sense their heartbeat near the installation. Joining hands with other people while touching the sensor speeds up the pulsing light pattern and intensifies the brightness.

This installation is a simple but clever idea that not only encourages interaction, but collaboration among its users. Its performance varies depending on how many people touch the heartbeat sensor, which would prompt users to try interacting or holding hands to see the different outcomes of this giant box of light. This piece can be engaged with in many different social settings instead of being a solitary experience for one user at a time. Additionally, the giant heart encompasses the spirit of Times Square and Valentine’s Day when it’s literally powered by the energy of the people who experience it.

 

 

 

Mesa Musical Shadows

This installation is a series of light sensors in a colorful geometric pattern on the ground that play different musical tracks when triggered by a shadow. The music played depends on the time of day and the darkness of the shadow cast on the sensor. One can also step on the sensors to play sounds. Each set of songs creates a specific atmosphere for the four different times of day. It was created by Daily tous les jours studio from Montreal and made for the Mesa Arts Center in Arizona.

The intelligent output of this project is incredibly rich and detailed. The sensors select from a wide range of songs programmed with MaxMSP for each quarter of the day and constantly recalibrate themselves to determine the specific values of shadows as the natural light changes over time. The hardware is also impressive, as the speakers had to be carefully installed underground and each of the 47 PCBs for the sensors was custom made. The project faced many practical challenges such as preventing water from entering the speakers and having easily removable hardware for city inspections. This installation is worth discussing because of how much complexity and consideration goes into creating something so simple and whimsical.