We’re so used to seeing the media in our world in full color, that the process of additive color mixing can look like magic when broken down into its primary parts: red, green, and blue light. I’ll be experimenting with an old CRT projector, which sends out three separate channels of light whose colors mix on the projection surface (as opposed to laser projectors, which do the mixing internally and send out a single “white” beam of light). A video playing through the CRT projector will hit the fabric wall opposite the user, resulting in a mirrored video. The user can interact via four motion sensors exterior to the box: one on the top, bottom, left, and right. Five unique combinations of detection motions will trigger either a red, blue, or green light to illuminate just above the user’s eye piece, throwing off the proportions of each color emitted by the projector and in turn changing the secondary colors that result from the mixing. The user might try to figure out which combinations of movements yield different color changes, or they can flail their arms around and enjoy what happens.
Materials:
- Plywood and lumber for construction of box and legs (also possibly a stand or table for the projector if I can’t source one of the right height)
- CRT projector (School of Drama stock)
- Translucent fabric
