Spectrum of Light in a Birmingham Underpass

Light Rails is a permanent LED light art installation in Birmingham, Alabama by artist Bill FitzGibbons, as funded by theCommunity Foundation of Greater Birmingham's Community Catalyst Fund donors in partnership with REV Birmingham. The spectacular spectrum of colors illuminate an underpass at 18th street in downtown Birmingham, adding a brilliant bit of artistic life to the community.

The project, which is only the first of many public light art installations to come for Birmingham’s city center, boasts thousands of LED’s and 250 computerized units that can each be programmed separately. FitzGibbons says, “There are 16 million color options in the light fixtures, so you’re only limited by your imagination.” The intention with this kind of visual display is to draw the eye with a vibrant, playful, inviting, and attractive architectural landscape.

The light artist says, “Projects [like this], across many cities, demonstrate that the creative economy which produces things such as public art has a direct influence on how citizens feel about those urban areas.  When you do this, you see boarded up buildings that are turned into condominiums, and when you start attracting residential activity, that attracts restaurants and retail, and then the urban center becomes an exciting vibrant place where people want to live.”

Bill FitzGibbons website

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Graffiti Machine Produces Vibrant Rainbows

In 2010, Swedish street artist Akay created Tool No. 10: Robo-Rainbow in an ongoing series of Instruments of Mass Destruction, which he further describes as “complicated technical solutions to aid in simple acts of vandalism.” Obviously, the words ”mass destruction’ are used lightly here, considering that the artist has no malicious intentions and ends up producing a bit of cheerful color on otherwise bare, deserted walls.

This particular device includes a long, mechanical arm holding six cans of spray paint and attached to a rotating device. With the machine extending back behind his bicycle, Akay can control the rotating arm with a remote control secured to the bicycle handle. When he pushes the button, the arm moves upward in an arc-path, spraying the bottles of paint and forming a graffiti rainbow along nearby walls. (Check out the video below to see the machine in action).

Akay says, “Everytime something is done on the street there is a level of interaction involved. Maybe its not the interaction we hoped for or expected, but every project is an invitation to respond. Even if the response is someone taking down what has been offered up.” The creation, assembly, action, and final product of the Tool No. 10: Robo-Rainbow are an amazing display of mechanical skill and creative thinking blending together into quick moments of unexpected, vibrant street art.

 
Akay’s website

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Eske Rex - Drawing Machine

Eske Rex - Drawing Machine (2009)

"A construction involving two pendulums, each suspended from a tower construction and connected through ‘drawing arms’ and moveable joints. A ballpoint pen resting on a drawing surface covered with paper is mounted at the point where the pendulums come together. The pendulums are set in motion by hand, and their movements are represented on the paper. The Drawing Machine serves to purposes: On exhibitions where the movements of the pendulums affect the entire room, and the experience engages the beholder’s body. While the rhythmic repetitions cause the beholder to pause, the drawing emerges on the paper. And as a tool where investigations on the relation between time and movement."

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Current iCloud. New Beta iCloud. Personally I am not a fan of this new direction. I don’t believe it represents Apple well and is downgrading them in the eyes of Designers and Developers. Respect will be lost from those of us who have been in the game for many years unless the UI decisions being made can display a benefit to the overall UX. I will refrain from judgement until Apple fully delivers the new UI to all products. First Note.

Random places around the world. A good way to find some travel inspiration http://maprandom.com/

Antarctic Syndrome on Mighty-Touch™ Wall. On July 1-2, the Lavra gallery in Kiev hosted a photo exhibition called Antarctic Syndrome, featuring the works of Nokian Tyres Ukraine director Igor Bogdanov. For the first time ever three Mighty-Touch™ Wall worked as a single seamless interactive screen which not only displayed the unique photos, but also allowed visitors to share them on Facebook or email them directly from the wall. Due to modularity of Mighty-Touch™ Wall any number of walls can combined into a signle panorama, leaving a free choice of an angle between the walls and thus allowing for interesting design solutions. Source

Multitouch Experience Cube. An eye-catching interactive trade show event installation. The walkable LED cube for the GRASS GmbH showcase has been the highlight at the Interzum 2011 trade show in Cologne, the international leading fair for suppliers to the furniture industry. 23 LCD displays attached inside the “Multitouch Experience Cube” formed a estimated 14 meter long multitouch wall. Inside visitors experienced a interactive product show controlled via iPhone app and moderated by a host. For this a interconnected real-time 3D rendering visualization including 3D Sound has been programmed in collaboration with “Realtime Department”. The application itself has been developed in Ventuz – a real-time 3D authoring software. As a final touch a custom designed LED ceiling has been fitted inside the interactive installation. The 3D visualizations created especially for the LED ceiling reacted upon the visitors interactions with the multitouch LCD displays and intensified the unique spatial sensations inside the “Multitouch Experience Cube”. Source

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