Niu Miao and Nicholas Hanna met while they were working at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. The idea developed from an earlier project, “Candle Stool”, by Niu Miao which explored an inverse relationship between a light-bulb and a candle.

In this installation the light from a candle is a continuously variable field that emanates from a point outward. The team enclosed a candle in a box covered with sensors. The sensors sample the light from the candle and are connected to corresponding cold-cathode light tubes in the space behind the box. At any given moment, a three dimensional cross section of the light from the candle is detected by the sensors and then amplified to fill the space of the room. The sensors invert the scenario where the shadow from the candle is translated into light in the room. This allows users to “create light” by moving their hands around the candle.

The artists designed a sensor element that embeds a photoresistor and electro-mechanical relay with a voltage comparison circuit. Nicholas writes that it allows for an extremely fast reaction time to changes in light from the candle and a fluid interactive experience. More than 3 km of wire, 182 sensors and a corresponding number of light tubes were used to complete the piece. See video.

For more information on the project, see nicholashanna.net

(via TriangulationBlog)