Inspiration:
Of what would be edge of materiality today are daily phenomenon in nature. Eyes of faunae that’d inspire computer vision, expanding symmetry that’d inspire fabrication and displays that’d draw on biological and natural occurrences. The idea of ethereal displays is based on suspended compounds in air that essentially appear as mists and clouds.
I was inspired to this idea by a drone drawing project that I worked on in the past, where multiple airborne vehicles equipped with ultra-high power LEDs would fly in swarms. A long exposure camera would capture the movements of these vehicles and plot light exposure traces/drawings on the screen. However, I had always been wanting to take the drawing to the physical world where audience is able to witness and interact with the visualizations in real.
Introduction:
Many of the displays have either been restricted to screens as we know them or to narrow spaces in physical in state-of-the-art works. The displays occurring in nature however, are essentially the opposite, transcending even what we can do with large-scale displays and projections.
The idea of ethereal displays is based on releasing high pressure aerosol trails through a flying agent in space, which can remain suspended in air longer than usual smoke or vapor particles. The path traced by a flying agent(s) is the shape attained of the display, not limited to any form or size constraints.
Applications:
Beyond the confines of the present displays, such new in-air suspended displays will provide new aesthetic vocabulary and freedom of expression. Imagine these flying agents creating extensions of objects or even buildings that aren’t even existing yet, helping us see what’s not there in the present. Such displays can not only help in recontextualization of spaces or architectures, but can exercise control over suspended particles to get dynamic spatial forms.
What would of objects look like when they are combined with ethereal objects as extensions! What the would the future look like when scratch or logo could be played in three dimensions in air!
Implementation:
Contrails, or airplane vapor trails are formed by high pressure release of aerosols at a very cold temperature and high altitudes. The emulation of contrails for our displays on ground level would require modification in aerosol composition to hold vapor together and also appear at lesser pressure release than usual.
This idea seems to have been used by a Dutch artist to photograph surreal clouds in indoor environments. The flying agent in our case can of course be a drone carrying an aerosol can triggering release as per the form/shape required.
Skydivers also create trails of their descent by wearing special socks that releases food coloring in the air. Getting the right trails would be about getting the right amount of moisture sticking to the particles to make them heavy, shape them and helping them stay in air.
Curious! This is an interesting idea. Related, but not at all this idea, this is something I was working on before the lab (it now works we just submitted a paper to CHI) http://lukevink.com/projects/914