Lightblades

A 3-story tall generative art installation in Portland

In 2017 I worked with the team at MEZR to create a generative art installation that runs on two 3-story tall LED lightblades. The lightblades flank Portland's newest creative space on Division and 25th, and will continuously create new art for years.

Programming

The goal for the project was to create a system that continuously creates new visuals based on naturally-occuring phenomena. I concepted and programmed ten pieces that evolve over time, never repeating and continuously mesmerizing.

This shiny geometric concept speaks to the building's technological leadership.

This concept falls in and out of sync, reminding us that even if things seem chaotic, order eventually returns.

This piece only plays after 2am when people people should be asleep. The fuzzy shapes overlap to create connections, symbolizing what happens to our memories when we dream.

I developed the concepts to be in sync with the rhythms of the day. In the morning, colors are chosen from photos of sunrises to create warmth, in the evening cooler blues are used as the sun goes down.

By following nature's lead, the installation becomes part of the community.

I have many people to thank for giving me a giant canvas to make art on.

To Marty Eichinger, the client who trusted my artist intuition and was never prescriptive, Matt Scheick: project fabricator, Adrien 'Finch' Thebo: engineer of the translation layer that puts my pixels on the LEDs, and Talik Eichinger: the glue that held everything together, thank you. Without the talent and dedication of the entire team at MEZR, this project would not exist.

I'd also like to thank the community at shadertoy, who has been a continuous source of learning and inspiration for me.

I want to see it

We're wrapping up the final details on the hardware and it'll be live soon. Follow me on Twitter for the launch date!

Other projects

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