Imagination Sets Sail in LED Installation “Voyage”

Growing up in Los Angeles, it was always a bit of an “event” when the typically sunny sky chose to fill up with clouds and pour down rain. On those days, my sister and I would build little boats out of wine corks, toothpicks and paper, which we set sail down the gushing streams that formed in the gutters on our street. Childhood memories like this are exactly what “Voyage,” a spectacular, interactive RGB LED light installation in London’s Canary Wharf, intends to evoke.

DMX LED

Created by London-based artist duo Aether & Hemera and commissioned by the Canary Wharf to launch its 2013 “Sculpture at Work” program, the DMX LED installation will be on display until February 15, 2013. Participants can interact with the piece by logging onto the Voyage WI-FI network on their mobile phones. From there, they can influence the colors and patterns displayed by the boats. Each of the 300 boats, which the artists designed using custom software and built using recyclable and sturdy polypropylene contains an RGB LED, a micro controller and a data receiver, which work together to collect and process viewers requests over the WI-FI network. The results are a beautiful display not only of what innovative technology can contribute to artistic expression, but also a unique, whimsical form of illuminated, aquatic art that allows viewers to, as the artists put it, “make a transition from reality to imagination, reliving childhood memories and embracing our freedom; blurring the lines between the real and hyper-real.”

DMX LED

Learn more about the creation of Voyage in this blog from Aether & Hemera.

LED Lights Create Silver Lining in a Box

Sometimes it’s hard to see the silver lining in a tough situation; we’ve all been there. So why not remind yourself or someone you love to turn that frown upside-down with a stunning and creative LED light fixture? “Silver Lining in a Box” is an LED home lighting concept from London-based design team Aether & Hemera. The artists write, “Inspired by the natural gleam of sunlight along clouds’ edges, [the] lamp mimics the effects of ‘silver lining’ and plays with its meaning, providing a memento for positive thinking in the current politic climate.”

LED home lighting

Patterns cut into the steel cube that houses the bulb and create delicate shadows on the surrounding walls. But even when the light is turned off, this whimsical piece is sculptural enough to look beautiful. And what’s even better is that the design and manufacturing process of “Silver Lining in a Box” is sustainable: Aether & Hemera only use one material to make it, employ the most energy efficient LED lights on the market, and have the lamps manufactured and assembled by hand at a small, local shop. What a great gift idea for someone who needs a little pick me up! Learn more or find out how to purchase Silver Lining in a Box.

River of LED Books Revitalizes the Power of Reading in Melbourne

No digital medium can compare to holding a real book in your hands, turning its pages and inhaling its dusty scent, not to mention the nostalgic sense of finality that comes with closing it once you’ve finished reading. Spanish art group Luzinterruptus wanted to remind viewers of the visceral, irreplaceable power of books, with a huge art installation called “Literature vs. Traffic.” During The Light in Winter festival in Melbourne, Australia, Luzinterruptus artists filled the streets with 10,000 discarded books, each one illuminated with a small, RGB LED light.

puck lights

Appearing like a river of forgotten literature, the installation stopped traffic as well as onlookers, who were encouraged to take the books home with them. Public libraries and The Salvation Army donated most of the works, the pages of which were weighted down and lit up the small, battery powered LED puck lights. The piece provided an interesting commentary on the importance of literature for engaging the imagination and inspiring millions—if you doubt that, just take a look at how the crowds interacted with the river of books. In our increasingly technological culture, it’s easy to think that books have fallen to the wayside. But “Traffic vs. Literature” puts them back out where they belong, unapologetically taking up space in the contemporary urban landscape.

James Peterson Creates Stunning LED Wall Installation Sessilanoid

Last Saturday I went to the opening of a solo exhibition for my friend James Peterson, an LA-based designer, builder and installation artist whose work I’ve blogged about here before. In 2012, The Los Angeles Convention Center unveiled Peterson’s interactive piece Hypoxia, which used motion sensors and LED lights to creatively raise awareness about the damage pollution causes to underwater habitats.

flexible LED strip

This time, James was up to some very inspiring and beautiful tricks with interactive flexible LED strip, which he installed behind large, floral patterns of translucent, molded, wall-mounted plastic. Entitled Sessilanoid: A Sum of All Parts, the piece will be up at Gallery 825 in Beverly Hills through February 15, 2014.

flexible LED strip

Viewers can interact with the piece by using the circular grid of buttons located on the largest flower. Pushing buttons triggers the RGB LED strip lights to display a new color sequence. Like Hypoxia, Sessilanoid explores themes of pollution and human impact on the environment, but in a way that is beautiful, fun and engaging. And, I know it might seem a little crazy but I could even see a version of this art installation as an LED home lighting application—that is if you have a wall big enough to put it on!

And remember, if you want to try your hand at creating your own interactive LED lighting project, you could use Elemental LED’s RGB LED strip light and the Apollo DMX LED controller to bring your creative vision to life!

100,000 Floating LED Lights Illuminate Tokyo’s Sumida River

Fireflies are basically nature’s LED lights: they’re cute, bright, efficient, and they can go anywhere. Not surprisingly, these ingenious, self-illuminating insects have been linked to LED lighting technology in ways with real-life impact, from creating more affordable LED lights, to unlocking the mysteries of firefly mating practices.

LED puck lights

It’s only fitting then, that the primary art installation at Tokyo’s May, 2012 Firefly Festival was comprised of 100,000 waterproof LED puck lights, which were meant to symbolize fireflies and other insects rich with Japanese cultural significance. Casting an eerie, iridescent blue glow over the water, the lights were drifted down the Sumida River, an act that also paid homage to the Japanese tradition of floating candles on water. Panasonic provided the battery powered LED outdoor lights, charging them ahead of time using solar energy and scooping them up with large net once they completed their voyage.

What a stunning way to commemorate so many important aspects of Japanese culture. Sure, Panasonic also used the installation to market its new line of LED bulbs, but since they picked up after themselves, I’ll give them a pass in the name of art.

Beyonce Dazzles at Super Bowl Halftime Show Thanks to LED Lights

Whether you’re a Ravens or a 49ers fan, one thing’s for certain: Beyonce’s Super Bowl halftime show was a victory for us all. The Queen of Pop gave a no-holds-barred performance of some of her most popular songs, aided in part by DMX LED lights. The star sang “Crazy in Love” and “Halo,” among other hits, while strutting and dancing on a stage that enhanced her performance with the help of computer programmed RGB LED lights.  At times, Beyonce was surrounded by digital holograms of herself, which were projected onto the stage below her feet, and at others she looked as if she were dancing in a TRON-esque matrix filled with lasers and illuminated geometric patterns, which only helped to enhance the Robo-Diva quality of her presence. At one point, the other two members of Destiny’s Child joined Beyonce on stage; an unforgettable moment for those of us who grew up with the group as a staple of our pop music education. And what about the fact that the power went out in the stadium directly after Beyonce’s performance? Stadium management and the NFL blamed the blackout on an “abnormality,” but if anyone is powerful enough to short-circuit the Super Bowl stadium, I’m guessing it’s B-town herself. If you missed it, you can catch Beyonce’s performance here.

The Airstream Trend: Using LED Lights to Redesign Classic Travel Trailers

Few products meld style and function as well as LED lights, but something that comes close in my mind are Airstream travel trailers.

These sleek, vintage trailers have been around since the 30s but have been making a comeback in the design world—big names like Ralph Lauren (above) and MacKenzie-Childs (below) recently remodeled Airstream interiors to look snazzier than most people’s real homes.

It seems many Airstream enthusiasts think of their trailers as traveling art pieces, using them to express the quirky side of their personalities and taking more design risks than they might at home. Lighting plays a big role in tying these eclectic designs together, and is very important for making a small space both functional and stylish. Following are some of my favorite Airstream interiors, along with tips about how to use ledstripbright LED lighting to create the same effect.

San Francisco’s Climb Real Estate Group turned this 1964 Airstream trailer into a roving office; it looks like a fun place to work, don’t you think? Instead of using high-energy lighting fixtures mounted to the wall, however, you could use LED Strip Lights to provide low-cost directional lighting that also highlights the unique curvature of the space, not to mention the cool reflective walls. Considering that Climb outfitted the trailer with solar panels to power WIFI and lighting, energy efficient LED lights would definitely be the best choice.

And taking things in another direction, this cute vintage interior matches the vintage exterior of the airstream perfectly! But some sleek under cabinet LED lights could provide some much needed illumination in the kitchen workspace without compromising aesthetic.

This sleek space, designed by Able + Baker, features all kinds of custom additions, like walnut cabinetry and an automated, cantilevered bed, powered by a modified garage door motor, and wired to the original Airstream Control Panel! I think the lighting could be improved, however. The addition of LED Puck Lights on the ceiling, and a few sections of strip light around the perimeter of the ceiling and above the sofa would highlight the architectural lines and to brighten things up a bit.