Shapes Made From Light, Smoke, And A Lot Of Mirrors

Part lightshow, part art piece, part exploratory technology, Light Barrier (third edition) by South Korean duo [Kimchi and Chips] crafts a visual and aural experience of ephemeral light structures using projectors, mirrors, and a light fog.

Presently installed at the ACT Center of Asia Culture Complex in Gwangju, South Korea, Light Barrier co-ordinates eight projectors, directing their light onto a concave cluster of 630 mirrors. As a result, an astounding 16 million ‘pixel beams’ of refocused light simulate shapes above the array.  The array itself was designed in simulation using an algorithm which — with subtle adjustments to each mirror — “grew” the display so as to line up the reflecting vectors. Upon setup, final calibration of the display used Rulr to treat each ‘pixel beam’ as a ray in 3D space to ensure image accuracy once the show began. Check out a preview after the break!

Amazing shapes for now, dazzling true-to-life movies down the road? One wonders if we will see theaters full of smoke and mirrors — involving only minimal deception alongside suspension of disbelief — like this in the future.

Or, you can just build it in your garage right now.

[Via Colossal and  Creative Applications Network]

21 thoughts on “Shapes Made From Light, Smoke, And A Lot Of Mirrors

  1. “image accuracy” and “an astounding 16 million ‘pixel beams’ of refocused light” immediately resulted in my imagination running wild… only to be corrected a few moments later by the video showing foggy blobs of fuzzy light and perfectly matching depressing sounds…

    1. I feel like they could have projected a realistic ‘hologram’ with all the tech, but decided to make simple shapes set to ‘alien sounds’ instead.
      Still looks epic. 630 mirrors, nice.

    1. I don’t know. This is way more interesting than that cardboard statue made with a default Solidworks plugin, since that “art” hinged entirely on some pointless statement about race and because the artist was a woman capable of using Solidworks, as if that’s somehow an amazing triumph.

      It’s art, so its quality is subjective in that respect. Personally I’m not a fan. Maybe the description hyped it up too much.
      In terms of technology and engineering, it’s pretty impressive. A lot of coordination and control, and a lot of complicated construction.

      Hack or not, I’m glad it was written up here because otherwise I wouldn’t have seen it.

  2. That thing is all smoke and mirror…
    Impressive setup don’t get me wrong, as an art peice it is interesting.
    But as fog projection, we saw better.

    Now here a twist… instead of fix mirror, get them moving.
    What should create interesting effect.

  3. Not to be a dick, but if i had access to intricate glasswork, a big stage, and a array of projectors, i too (and really anyone) could do this, it doesnt really seem special in any way, the thing that makes it work is the glass things, and the projectors, and well, thats all it is? most way outside the budget of most people? and not really that pretty either? and gl concidering this as art when it needs a whole stage, lightshow, and so much space.

    Again, not trying to be a dick here, just, meh, i feel like if anybody from murica or europe wouldve made this it wouldnt even have been posted.

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