Lama Concept's LED-Integrated Carpet

Lama Concept of the Netherlands have created an LED-integrated carpet using machine-cut felt. The carpet has been used as flooring in Airbuses. I imagine the carpet would also serve nicely in places such as movie theaters and performance spaces. 

PROJECT :: Installation Wall :: Part 1

As part of my portfolio for my masters application, I decided to create a mock-up installation art wall that could be created fairly easily with simple products. The intent of the installation wall is to create a pattern of undulating strips of paper that would then be lit from below, casting a pattern of shadows onto the wall.

Below are some photos of the wall being constructed. The process of constructing the wall in model form would be similar to that in a large scale installation set up. The lighting sources would essentially be more powerful and color changing, creating more shadows and patterning onto the wall.

  

I will post higher quality images of the model with colored gels over the light source to attempt to better present the effect. I think it would look cool on a big blank wall for a holiday party! Or otherwise, I might install this "guerrilla style" somewhere around LA.

Molo Design's Softwall :: Color Me Smitten

 

Molo design of Vancouver have created a modular soft wall system of flexible paper and fabric that is lit by LED string lights.

 

These collapsible units are easily stacked and arranged to create ambient formations. I'm jealous of its simplicity and smitten over its texture, lightness and feel. 

 

If you're interested in this, you should definitely watch the movies they've made on their site showing how easily these structures can be created.

The World's Biggest LED Project to Date

The YAS Hotel in Abu Dhabi has created the world's largest LED project to date. Created by the lighting design department at Arup based out of New York City, the project used e:cue's lighting application suite 5.1 in order to integrate and program close to 5000 RGBW LEDs by Enfis and Cooper lighting products.

 
Below are some behind the scenes views of the modeling and the wiring involved in order to program these LEDs. This new technology allows for easier color-changing light sequences to be developed as well as low-resolution video to be played upon the grid shell exterior.
And someone posted a video on youtube of the first test-run.

If you're into lighting, this probably isn't the first time you've heard about this feat. And it also won't be the last.

*Golf Clap* to Graypants

I give a little thumbs up to graypants of Seattle who have created these rather enjoyable pendant lamps from scrapped cardboard.

The concept, although simple in its invention, especially if anyone's ever had to build a landscape model out of cardboard, still provides an interesting glow due to the light being filtered through the corrugated structure of the cardboard. If you've read my blog, and seen some of my projects I've created, you know that I am a fan of reusing products. Kudos to graypants for their efforts. At their price point, however, I'd be quicker to make my own than buy theirs.

PROJECT :: Halloween Costume :: Conclusion

Success!

 

After spending nearly a week constructing a costume with which I was almost entirely fed up, the end product resulted in lots of dropped jaws from random folks over the Halloween weekend. The above picture is the same photo with some color correction/editing done in order to show the lighting of the skyscraper. The skyline backdrop was drawn in a half an hour on Halloween night when I came up with the idea, hence the general crappiness of it.

Above are some behind the scenes photos showing the lighting, my biplane and me putting on my stilts. The portable, battery operated fluorescent lights packed the needed punch and provided a uniform lighting through out the costume.

Above and below are some photos from wearing the costume out on Friday and Saturday night. The third thumbnail above shows a view from below looking up at me while wearing the costume. Unfortunately the quality of photos I have of me in the costume aren't the greatest, limiting the comprehension of scale and luminosity.

I've since heard that the costume has been tagged as "the best costume in the world" on facebook! After much hard work and a little bit of frustration, I am glad to hear that other people enjoyed the costume. And, lastly, here's a photo of the sweaty man behind the mask.

 

This project took approximately 15 to 20 hours of design and development, approximately 25 to 30 hours of construction and cost around $150 (after returning some items).

PROJECT :: Halloween Costume :: Part 3

Oh, jeez! What did I get myself into? As the construction of my costume continues, the size, weight and volume has grown and the hours creep on. I can't help but get that stifling/panicky feeling in these large scale, down-to-the-wire projects where I sometimes think, "I bit off more than I can chew."

The painting of the fabric, although successful in its effect to create opacity, was no less an extremely tedious chore. I detested every moment of it. However, I'm happy with the look and feel of it. I framed the windows with a black Sharpie Magnum. The look after framing with the marker reminded me a lot of Björk's Bachelorette music video directed by Michel Gondry, for some reason. Ok, maybe I used that sharpie too long and had too little sleep.

No less, I was excited to have the painting and markering over with and begin sewing. I am not a very good sewer, but am much happier doing it than painting, I realized. Perhaps it was all due to the fact that I got to sit in a chair, versus hunch over and kneel on the floor. Also, I was excited to see the form come together and even turn on a battery operated fluorescent light to see it glow!

There are portions of the fabric that let light through still that will need some touch-up paint. No less, I was happy with the glow that the portable, battery-operated fluorescent lights emitted.

I ran into some problems, unfortunately, in the engineering of the support straps that will run across the PVC frame over my shoulders to hold up the costume. The solution lies in some 3D statics, I think. I wasn't ever very good at structural engineering calculations. Alas, there are still yet some details that need to be hashed out before I can attach King Kong. The clock is ticking!

PROJECT :: Halloween Costume :: Part 2

The construction process of my King Kong on the Skyscraper Halloween costume has commenced. With only a few more days before the weekend long Halloween festivities begin, each night is devoted to completing this project. 

The frame of the structure is built out of 1/2" diameter PVC pipe. The structure will be suspended  with straps over my shoulders and covered in painted fabric. The unpainted portion of the fabric will allow light to filter through the cloth, whereas the painted portion will be opaque. 

The images below are of the panels that will be constructed out of cotton fabric and covered in latex paint. It is essentially a depiction how the building is intended to look after being internally illuminated using battery operated fluorscent and LED sources.

Here is a photo of one of the patterns being cut out of paper that I will use to transfer onto the cotton fabric shown below. I intend to paint all of the fabric panels tonight. I'll post tomorrow with updates.

LightShow West Convention, Los Angeles

I attended my first lighting convention earlier this week. LightShow West in downtown LA's convention center is the only light show focusing on west coast specifiers for lighting products. Commercial, architectural and high end design lighting were all brought together.

I was proud to have a name badge with my well-known company in the industry, and even got to enjoy being misrepresented as a lighting designer. The convention featured free seminars, many in regards to energy efficiency and LEED requirements. The majority of fixtures and light types shown followed in trend with lots of examples of new highly efficient LED lighting sources. The progression of LED technology towards warmer, more natural feeling light was evident and only proved that LED lighting is inevitably the way of the future.

One of my personal favorites at the convention who had both an impressive booth and gorgeous lighting sources were the French Canadian/Italian partnered companies of Sistemalux, Lumenpulse and iGuzzini. I recognized some of their products from the Promenade Samuel-de Champlain project I had blogged about back in September.Their products were even more stunning in real life.

PROJECT :: Halloween Costume :: Part 1

Anyone who knows me knows that I tend to go "all out" for Halloween. This year is no exception! After some thought, I've decided to be the classic Hollywood image of King Kong on top of the skyscraper. And with the help of flickr, which I suggest anyone does before coming up with a costume concept in order to see how people may have done it before you, I found some variations on the theme. Of course there were plenty of people dressed as King Kong, but nobody dressed as both King Kong and the skyscraper...together. This came close, but not quite what I have in mind.

Above is an initial concept sketch I've drawn for my costume. My lower half of my body will be the skyscraper on stilts, for added height, and my uppper half will be in the King Kong/Gorilla costume. This will also be a lighting project in which I will attempt to light the skyscraper effectively from the inside to have it appear as a building.

Above is a Sketch Up animation of the proposed costume which might give a little more insight as to how the costume is intended to work.

To the left are some quick sketches for my dimensioning and building purposes drawn on AutoCAD. I'll post again later with photos of the skyscraper as it's being built and, of course, the final product. Below are some classical images of King Kong for inspiration. Happy Halloween!