Justin Lui

A slight adjustment to the LED canopy, changing the heights of the LED+rods, making a more random LED arrangement which moves a step away from the grid.

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):

Another iteration of the Tensile Mylar Curtain idea.  Revisions include i) bigger mylar ‘bib’ for more visual coverage, ii) diagonal mylar members that form enclosed tubes which (somewhat) hide the LED light source.

'Front' view.

'Back' view.

'Front' close-up, with glowing LEDs inside the mylar enclosure.

'Back' close-up, with glowing LEDs in the diagonal mylar enclosures.

The light from the LEDs are proving to look a little too harsh and focused, looking like sharp points of light.  To get a smoother kind of illumination, I’ve tried using ELwire, which looks like a continuously glowing string. 

With ELwire lighting, instead of LEDs.

Purple ELwire, coming out of mylar pocket and into a grommet.

The reflections of the ELwire outside the mylar pocket is more interesting than the LEDs (either inside or outside the pocket), but it’s still not great.