James Clar: Inside / Out

On the night of April 28th, lighting artist/designer James Clar turned downtown Memphis into a public, interactive lighting installation as 9 buildings were integrated with a system that sampled the activity levels from the inside of the buildings and transferred it to the tops to control a dynamic lighting display.

"Inside / Out" brings to focus the information of movement and energy within buildings and makes them visible, so as people walked around the South Main gallery district of Memphis they were able to see each building node and it's activity before you enter them.

Each building node of "Inside / Out" used a laser diode system to track the amount of people entering and exiting the space, and then used this variable to create animations and patterns on the rooftops.

The rooftop system consisted of a microcontroller to intepret the data sent to it from below and solid state relays to control 16 bulbs diffused by blue plexi in a minimally designed display.

The idea of "lighting design" isn't about a specific product, an artpiece, an installation, or an evironment, it's about visual communication.

Evolution in visual communication means understanding light, its properties, and how to control and manipulate it.