TouchDesigner by Derivative looks like an amazing piece of software, used for a wide range of video manipulation. TouchDesigner’s list of applications include interactive art production, architectural + environmental projections, engineering and research visualization, user interface prototyping, live show control, … Continue reading touchdesigner
Leviathan is a Chicago-based production studio specializing in creating large-scale visual experiences across multiple media. I’m particular enamored with their projections on 3D surfaces; they have three killer projects that explore the possibility of this artform. They state on their site: … Continue reading leviathan
A fantastic student installation from last year at Harvard’s GSD. I’ll let the blog post do the talking: Projection One is an interactive art installation that was recently unveiled at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design. Conceived and built by Andrew Payne and … Continue reading projection one
A critical part of the process of design is creating quick models to study possible scenarios. Architects do this routinely, ranging from quick-and-dirty chipboard or foamboard study models up to elaborately detailed presentation models. And of course, the virtual world … Continue reading modeling advanced lighting controls
London-based studio Anne Kyyro Quinn makes bespoke, hand sewn, 3D felt wall panels. Continue reading anne kyyro quinn studio
Philips Retail Solutions is a venture startup within the broader Philips Lighting organization that is striving to develop a control platform that manages all of the digital content and interactive control systems within a retail environment. Their tagline is “measurable … Continue reading measurable magic: philips retail solutions
Sometimes, life really surprises and delights you. Bobo Explores Light is an amazing educational iPad App that teaches children — and frankly, most adults — about the fundamentals of light. And the amazing thing: This is one of the best … Continue reading bobo explores light
There are several new communications standards being employed by various lighting tech startups. I found many of them to be confusing, so here is my best “I’m a designer, not an engineer” summary survey of what they mean. I highly … Continue reading current and forthcoming control standards
My little blog has just hit 200 posts! Thank you to all my readers. According to the stats, so far I’ve had close to 79,000 views since I launched the site in 2009. Not bad for a blog narrowly-focused on leading-edge architectural lighting design. I will also use this post to launch lucept.tumblr.com. I’ve found Tumblr a rich source of inspiration for lighting design…if you have hours and hours to sift through the thousands of photos and posts. Conveniently, I’ve had many hours to waste sitting in a dark room patiently “helping” my young children fall asleep, so I’ve curated … Continue reading 200 posts! tumblr!
Finish firm Character “upcycles” old channel letter signs for chic interior decorations: Character saves fascia signs from demolition. We choose the most stylish letters and turn them into individual and unique design objects. We replace the old neon tubes with … Continue reading character
An amazing TED Talk presented by a magician, Marco Tempest, outlining Nicola Tesla’s life. Marco uses projections in combination with blank 3D story books to dazzling effect. Continue reading ted talk: marco tempest
My post on Modular Arts is already 3-years old and continues to be one of my top viewed posts…so clearly there continues to be great interest in highly textured wall surfaces. I came across an Italian startup named 3D Surface with some … Continue reading 3D surface
Via Core77, the Trioh! is a Kickstarter project by Greg Hinzman, an industrial designer in Oregon. An elegant rechargeable flashlight that has three modes: The typical directional flashtlight, an emergency beacon mode that turns on automatically if the power fails, and … Continue reading trioh
I found this cool supplier for commercial-grade projection screens: Stewart Film Screens. They make all different kinds, but the one that really caught my attention was a rigid glass rear projection screen available up to 10′ x 17’…and they claim larger … Continue reading stewart projection screens
OnChip Power is another lighting tech startup that is currently flying low under the radar. A spinout from MIT, OnChip has only a placeholder website for now, but there is a great Boston.com article detailing the company’s plans to miniaturize … Continue reading onchip power
Most people I speak with have little understanding of how an LED backlit LCD screen actual works. Via Engadget, iFixit performed a teardown of Apple’s newest MacBook Pro with Retina Screen, showing clearly how the optical system is put together. … Continue reading how LED LCD monitors work
“The cost of assessing risk is now often greater than the cost of failing.” Rather than letting risk restrict exploration, why not let results be the filter? Joi Ito, Director of the MIT Media Lab Via hbr.org Continue reading the cost of being afraid
HyperBody is an interesting research group, led by Kas Oosterhuis, under the Faculty of Architecture at the Delft University of Technology. HyperBody is researching various forms of interactivity within architectural design: “The goals set for the group’s research are to … Continue reading hyperbody
Part of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, John Rogers is leading a research group focused on flexible electronics: “We seek to understand and exploit interesting characteristics of ‘soft’ materials, such as polymers, liquid crystals, and biological tissues as well … Continue reading rogers research group
Interesting conference coming up in San Francisco: Collaboration – The Art and Science of Building Facades. Very interesting Speakers list highlighting who the technical innovators are for architectural building facades. Continue reading collaboration conference
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