a 'displaced architectural space' which is out of sync both temporally & climatically. this large screen, composed of 300 150W infrared light bulbs, transposes the real-time state of the summer sun on the 23rd South parallel. the light bulbs diffuse a light & heat video sequence of the sun between 600 & 1000nm, according to the actual climatic conditions of the tropic of Capricorn.
each time the diffused sun gets out of the camera field, the system seeks a new active sun in another place & in a different time zone. the image of this active sun, diffused by the 300 infra-red lamps, heats the space located in front of it.
see also presence & mix-m.org. more information & visuals after the break. [fabric.ch|thnkx Christophe!]
information aesthetics.Where form follows data.
MORE
the installation was developed for the Lyon Festival of Light 2005, France. the 'tropical' software was specially developed by fabric | ch for this project. it retrieves live weather information from internet, selects randomly a sunny tropical city, launches the corresponding video sequence of the sun & through video analysis transmits in real time the intensity of light to 300 infrared light bulbs individually. the interface between computer & infrared screen is made by a DMX 512 system which controls 300 digital dimmers (one for each light bulb). each light consists of a 150W infrared light bulb.
the space is thus 'informed' by the tropical sun, defined by heat, distant & time zones, to become a displaced & stimulated tropicality.
final set up in Lyon (France) - december 7, 2005, 4pm GMT+1.
(image: Milo Keller)
opening in Lyon (France) - december 8, 2005, 6.22pm GMT+1, tropical sun from Windhoek (Namibia), 6.22pm GMT+1, sunny.
(image: Milo Keller)
Opening in Lyon (F) - december 8, 2005, 7.07pm GMT+1, tropical sun from Brasilia (Brazil), 3.07pm GMT-3, mostly sunny.
(image: Milo Keller)
wall detail
Published with 
Content protected by 
Designed and Maintained by 
Time and Date follows
It reminds me of an obviously way better version of that "perpetual spring" installation we saw at the Swiss Cultural Center.
That's a lot of electricity...