This series of artwork repurposes the movement of light as the basis for sculpture, and investigate how architecture meets the natural world. I explore the juncture between the impermanent and the permanent as a means of reflecting on architectural history.
I've had a continual interest in understanding light and space in the physical world using code and digital tooling. Sunlight varies cyclically with time. Our perception of space shifts as sunlight reveals different contours and qualities of the spaces we inhabit, and then disappears altogether as the sunlight recedes in the evening.
I start by mindfully observing an architecture throughout the day, experiencing its program while searching for locations and moments in time with light that tell a story or reveal a principle in the building’s design.
The lobby of building E14 at the Media Lab expresses this phenomena nicely at sunrise during summer.
I then record these moments, process the footage using code and computer vision, and curate the data to produce the sculpture.
This series will focus on four architectural landmarks in the Boston area. One of which is Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts designed by architect Le Corbusier.
The glass block wall on the western facade of the stairwell produces a distinctive lighting effect during sunset that is augmented by the shadows of the swaying tree branches just outside the building.
Placed in a transitional part of the building, the glass blocks offer a beautiful and transient moment with light, only intended to be caught a glimpse of.
When translating the light into a sculpture, I take care to ensure that the curves reflect the overall character of the light. Theres a bit of interpretation and parameter tuning involved in the process.
The result is a sculpture that not only captures the movement of the light, but also reveals the daylighting strategy Le Corbusier adopted when designing this area of the building. The architectural history of the building will be expounded on in more detail on my website.