Justin Lui

Here finally is a new post after a long absence (I’ve been busy working on the project).  After several experiments with various materials, I’ve settled on the arrangement from the fiber-optic schemes, but with LEDs attached to acrylic rods, instead of fiber-optic filaments.

The presence of people triggers the LEDs to light up in localized patches, forming and activating an architectural surface that is ambiguous and dynamic, rather than continuous and static.

The installation (as I presented it at the end-of-quarter thesis review) was only a portion of the full-size that was possible with the equipment I had on hand.  The following images show the maximum size that is possible with the electronics hardware I currently have (though the plan is to multiply the hardware to further expand the installation size):

Here’s a scale model of of what the Tensile Mylar Curtain could look like installed.  The idea is to install it with the t-wall in the Wight Gallery.  The t-wall emphasizes the separation between each side of the wall, as it extends the journey required to move from one side to the other.  I think this could successfully highlight the two-person interaction across the curtain.

One possible logistical snag could be that it partially occupies two artist spaces, and there’d have to be some negotiation with my classmates if this installation pinches in on their project spaces.

Installed with the Wight gallery t-wall.

This image raises a possibly interesting idea: if the reflective surface were flat (not folded as my true-scale mock-ups show), then a person's reflection may collide and mesh with the partial view of the person on the other side.