Twelve shimmering metal shafts rise at surprising angles from a grassy hill. They hang over the landscape, creating a graceful curve that appears to unfold for passing motorists. The shafts are part of Solar Collector, a sculpture created by artists Matt Gorbet, Rob Gorbet, and Susan LK Gorbet as a commission for the Region of Waterloo. Set in front of the Regional Operations Centre in Cambridge, Ontario, the sculpture is solar-powered and interactive, inviting the community to choreograph its nightly performance via the web.

Each shaft has three sets of lights, along with three solar panels. Their angles reflect the angles of the sun through the year. The tallest shaft is perpendicular to the sun at winter solstice, when the sun is low in the sky. The flattest shaft faces the high sun at summer solstice. During the day, the solar panels collect the sun’s energy in a battery within each shaft. At the same time, the Solar Collector website collects light compositions – patterns in light that are created by the community through a simple web interface.

The light patterns are based on sine waves – the mathematics behind sunlight and the seasons. Each night at dusk, a performance begins of all the compositions collected that day. After the day’s patterns are displayed, the performance moves on to a series of global patterns composed collaboratively from all the patterns ever created. The total length of the performance is a reflection of the weather and the seasons, as the shafts use up their energy and fade out late in the evening, one by one.

via: enlighter.org, solarcollector.ca, gorbetdesign.com

The most modern way of building illumination in the whole world and in Slovakia as well and the first and unique way of illumination in such a big scale.
SSL technology (solid state lighting “semiconductor lighting) which is applied to the whole area of glassed-in part of the building in combination with special narrow beam metalhallogenid spots creates new range of modern multimedia illumination.
On the facade of the Europa Business Center, Leader Light installed a total of 2,040 specially produced LL LED DOTs Z-Power OneCip RGB luminaires, which are placed in inside part of the windows. Each luminarie consist form four pieces of highpower RGB OneChip LEDs, which are fully dimmable from 0 to 100% and provide continuously colour changes of full colour spectrum by additive RGB colour mixing. Each luminarie is driven by special designed LED EBC driver, which is controlled by DMX signal and serve as a power source for luminaries. Power supply for LED EBC drivers is switched by relay placed on each floor, which control is provided by the relay control unit. The main advantages of the luminaries are small dimensions and enormly low power consumption. During the day is impossible to see the body of the lumunaries, they do not destroy the looks of the building. The common illumination mode is reduced to approximately to 30% of full intensity, which is around 8kW of imput power for the whole building.

Transformation of ethernet signal to DMX signal is made by e:cue Butler with integrated repeat unit, by which is able to drive up to two lines of DMX outputs (1024 channels), which are controlled by e:cue Programmer Enterprise. With DMX technology is able to minimalize installation costs first of all when the cable distances can be up to 1200m long. The network connectivity is also through RJ45, where through Ethernet switch is connected e:cue server with each of e:cue butlers.
Multimedia LED illumination allow colour changes with dynamic effects for illumination as well as commercial and marketing use.The overall character of a building is composed by eight FALCON STATIC ARC colour 2000Ws with new type of XBO lamps and CMY colour mixing and three FALCON BEAM ARC whites 3000W. The STATIC ARC colours are arranged along the facade in two groups of three and one of two in such a way as to illuminate the areas near the window fronts as uplights. With their regular colour changes they are able to work striking static effects on the facade. The FALCON BEAM ARC whites are installed on the roof, where they can project geometric figures into the night sky and elongate and copy the straight lines of the building. This extraordinary and amazing show creates illusion of endless facade, which is able to see from long distances.

via: ecue.de, leaderlight.sk

Folded Space is a project by MSW that interacts with perception of Torre Pompéia building in São Paulo/Brasil. It uses video projection composed of geometrical shapes which, as they move and re-shape, transform the building onto which they are projected.
The video installation “folded space” uses the tension-filled constellation of massive parts of the building and bridge arrangements for a temporarily fresh interpretation.

The projected video consists of abstract two-dimensional structures, which arrange themselves in spacial constellations over a choreography of about 12 minutes. Change of motifs and perspective are performed and thus shifting spatiality over time. The video creates a new layer on the building, which is “floating” over the surface and is “fractured” at its edges. The video is “folded”: the coherent pictorial space is questioned. The installation thus obtains an eventful quality, which allows – dependent on the viewing angle and point in time – spontaneous and unexpected spacial constellations. The installation thus obtains an eventful quality, which allows – dependent on the viewing angle and point in time – spontaneous and unexpected spacial constellations.

The conclusiveness of the projected light spaces, which originate from a computer simulation, are “broke open” and reinterpreted. “folded space” is created as an experiment and pursues the question in how far architectural forms still exists and communicate their urban relevance in a perception that is increasingly affected by media-based events.

via: enlighter.org, MSW

The “Polygon Playground” is a large scale interactive lounge object. It offers room for up to 40 persons at a time to walk, sit and explore its multifaceted surfaces. Gradient ramps guide to the top plateau or offer space to sit and rest. The installation features a software aided 3D surface projection system to cover the object with a seamless 360 degree projection mapping. An additional sensory system detects peoples positions and proximity.

The visual appearance of the “Polygon Playground” changes continously with the presence, movements and touches of its visitors. The object detects the positions and directions of people and reacts with evolving visual moods and graphic styles. The hardware and software system of the “Polygon Playground” can be applied to virtually any 3D body to turn it into an interactive object.

via: whitevoid.com, polygon-playground.com

via:luminapolis.com

Normally we enjoy light – but sometimes switching off lights also makes sense.

“This year, Earth Hour has been transformed into the world’s first global election, between Earth and global warming. ”

As the video shows many media facades switched off their lights for Earth Hour