song’s lair

Artist:  Jennifer Steinkamp
Title: Loom
Date:  2003
Dimensions:  11 x 11 feet, room 45 x 11 feet
Equipment: Toshiba TLP 650, 1100 lumen and Panasonic PT-L757 1400 lumen projectors, 2 DVD players.

Loom consisted of two overlapping video projections; one contained a horizontal pattern, while the other vertical. When combined, the two created a weave. Because there were two projections at angles, the viewer created two shadows that disrupted the projection; one shadow revealed the vertical lines while the other was filled with horizontal lines. The image formed a cube that matched the perspective of the space, which was a deep tunnel. The lines warped with a water like pattern.

Finally, I  found the good material for transparent screen. This is very thin, transparent and very very cheap!!!

But, I still worry about how to hang on it from ceiling in final installation. Hoping my classmates may help me to solve this problem in the building week………

Anyway, thanks for Xiang and Remi’s help for texing the material.

In the course of research and development of my project which based on my previous project proposal, the project has been developed to a more meaningful work rather than a video of the changes of ray which was my original idea. During this course, I have obtained various advanced and the latest digital arts information which gave me many fresh ideas about my project. Now, I engaged more in the material nature of the project not only the editing of a video about light; I considered more about the relation between viewers and art work not only exploring the light reflection; I learned more about the installation art and interactivity not only examining the way of screening; I also reviewed multimedia artists’ works which gave me lots of inspiration not only the artists’ work which reflect light.  

In the final unit, I keep researching and practising, trying to build an immaterial sculpture which is like a dynamic light environment. Unlike traditional video screening, the project will be more about the light in material sense rather than editing a video of light. Meanwhile, the forms of the light sculpture can be altered when the shadow of audiences’ moves are changing. Rather than compelling viewers to accept a stream of images, this project aims to provide an occasion to make audiences get psychological resonance of light and allow them to engage the work physically by passing through the ray of light and walking around the installation. In addition, because of the effect that audiences’ moves bring to the screening, the definition of every change of ray is unique. This project aims to build an immaterial light sculpture to make audiences get sensory experience of light. 

  As for the screening, in the previous unit, I have tried to shift and change the form of screen in different size and quantity in Premiere, which focuses much on how to make a video about light and regards less about the light in a material sense. Therefore, in this unit, I started shifting from experiment video editing to the material nature of the project by altering the position of multiple layers Transparent Screens in cross way and painting black geometry pattern on every single screen which can dissolve the light in a fixed way. I prefer using material installation to achieve the change of the screen’s form and size rather than using software editing. Additionally, the trend that art should enable experience of digital arts circle has become obvious.

Last week, the PHD degree student Jem shown his film which introduced many latist digital pirograms and interactive projects. There is a project using Light beeded curtain to be the main material to set up a playful interactive installation. The following info of this material is come from website:

Light beeded curtain is an interactive musical installation that can be freely played by person’s touch. The installation takes the familiar form of a beaded curtain that consists of strings of simple clear beads. Each bead, on a users touch, lights itself and emits a unique sound. People play with the curtain by weaving their hands through it, touching it with their faces, and moving through it with their body. An environment of light and sound is created when people engage with the curtain.  Although the curtain is primarily meant to be played with by a person, each bead is controllable and programmable via a computer. In this manner, the curtain can function as an interactive display.

Mona Hatoum used to be a performance artist, then, she work on more mechanical art installations and sculpture, which involving video, light and sound. While most of her work focusing on violence, oppression, and voyeurism, she has often made powerful references to the vulnerability and resistance, of our human bodies.

Light Sentence 1992

Mixed media, dimensions variable

light at the end(2002)

The installation Light at the End (2002) consists of an iron metal frame and five electric elements. It represents a dark tunnel with red, orange and yellow light at the end. This colored light seduces the spectator, as it appears warm and appealing, in contrast to the hostile darkness of the tunnel. However, the seductive color is a trap. Only when the spectator moves closer does the colored light reveal its real character as electric and dangerous. The warmness of red is transformed into the violent redness of blood.

During this one year research, I have reviewed many contemporary artists’ works which are more or less relevant to my project. The list includes not only the artists who engaged in light refection, but also those who did installation, film, sculpture or fine arts. For these contemporary artists, almost every one of them works in various art areas which make their works more rich and colourful. For example, Len Lye combines light and kinetic sculpture to create a playful light fountain. Similarly, Erwin Redl, Dan Flavin, Stephen Antonakos, Robert Irwin, Robert Thurmer, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Vito Acconci, Jonathan Borowsky, Olafur Eliasson, Bruce Nauman, Tracey and James Turrell, whose materials are artificial light (such as LED, light bulbs, fluorescent light floodlights and neon light), create autonomous, luminous sculptural objects, room size installations or even luminous landscape. Furthermore, some work groups such as ZERO, GRAV, Gruppo T and Gruppo N deal with light in immersive and interactive, even virtual environments. These artists’ works inspired and encouraged me to explore the new concepts and applications of light, not only the colour, the movement, the relation with objects, but also the developing of new definition of light.

Marie Sester’s interactive work

Access

Vito Acconci Studio

Island on the Mur (landscape installation)

 material: steel, glass, ploycarbonate, water and light

Vito Acconci studio

Light beams for the sky of a transfer corridor

Jogn M Armleader

light installation

Target

In the final installation, different with my previous proposal which aims to present 3D effect by projecting 2D animation on Transparent Screen, I would like to build a light environment which can be influenced by physical elements of audiences. I would like to set up five layers of Transparent Screens in cross way and every point of intersection of each layer in about a right angle, which would be projected by a projector in a sealed dark room. Light images can be transmitted from the first layer to the last one. Moreover, rather than expressing the meaning of art work, I want to offer real feeling and physical experience to viewers. In my work, I keep exploring how to make viewers have an active influence and experience of creating meaning on information or art works by adding to it or changing it. Therefore, in the final show, different with original idea that audience only can view the screening, now, they can walk around the equipment to view how their moves affect the changes of ray. Thus, the gap between work and audience can be broken by allowing free physical elements to be an important part of this work, which idea was inspired by many interactive installation art works. Furthermore, I want to explore the ideas of space and duration of ray by observing the process that ray transmitting through Transparent Screens.