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Shadow of stars

Method : light installation (mixed media: real-time data, arduino, raspberry Pi, etc.)

Size : 24 x 18 x 2 (in)​

Year : 2018

"Visual mimicries of natural environments lead us to reconsider the role of the technological natural environment, which is able to simulate the effects of being close to the wilderness. If the purpose of nature’s colors in the current lightings is giving an impression of being near the wilderness, then creating a feeling of being close to nature without showing the actual colors of either real sky or synthetic light-color is worth study. 'Shadow of stars' that the author is currently prototyping, proposes a feeling of being close to wilderness in daily indoor spaces through the variation of the brightness, rather than create a scene of being in nature. By applying the importance of a feeling of being close to the natural environment, the author proposes that light fixtures in indoors should not only reflect the value of visual experiences, but should also highlight the value of generating a feeling of being in nature." (FutureArchitecture)

Shadow of stars is a data-based light installation for indoor spaces where access to outdoor spaces is limited. The light in this project is inspired by the variation of daylight. Brightness of daylight is key in this project because many other light installations focus on the color of the sky rather than the light of the sun. To control the brightness accordingly, I use the weather and time data. Shadow of stars attempts to simulate a feeling of being under the sunlight and gives a sense of the changing time and atmosphere of the weather outside. If the purpose of depicting nature’s images in virtual space is to give an impression of being near the wilderness, then creating a feeling of being close to nature without showing an actual image of either real nature or virtual nature is worthy of study. 


I draw attention to the accessibility of creative works for the general public who are not able or capable of being outside of buildings due to time or physical restrictions, or the location of the exhibition venue. By situating Shadow of stars inside a space that could easily pass as an ordinary ceiling light, people sense the outside’s time and environmental changes. Such an awareness emancipates the experiencers from a feeling of isolation while being in indoor spaces. This interior light source project can also branch out into diverse applications, such as alleviating jet lag and seasonal affective disorder.

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