The fantastical installation "Lights & Leaks" opened as a one-day special exhibit at New York's Grand Prospect Hall on March 31st. The hall featured 50 shining mirror balls and four projectors, filling a 21x15 meter room. Upon entering the room, the glittering mirror balls were all you could see, but gradually, the light reflections filled your field of vision, making you feel as if you were being enveloped in light. Using projection mapping technology, the light reflected off the mirror balls creates various shapes and patterns, deliberately destabilizing and transforming the perception of the space. The reflection of each mirror ball was meticulously measured and calculated during the setup of the venue, allowing you to freely manipulate the light reflections as if you were manipulating LEDs on a giant display.




This installation was conceived and created by two artists, Kyle McDonald and Jonas Jongejan. McDonald had previously researched 3D scanning using a technique called "structured light." At the time, technology was not as advanced as it is today, so 3D scanning was performed using a projector and camera on a specially coded, projected pattern. In the process, McDonald discovered that it was possible to program and control light at a fundamental level. "Lights & Leaks" was first unveiled at the CLICK FESTIVAL held in Denmark in 2013. When McDonald decided to participate in the festival, the theme for that year was "collaboration," so he invited Yonge Yang, who he had worked with before, from among the participating members. It was a perfect match with Yonge Yang, who currently works as a creative technologist at Google. The installation has since been held in Paris and Los Angeles, where it has left a lasting impression.


*This article has been translated and written with permission from (Sources: http://halfdanj.dk/, http://www.kylemcdonald.net/, http://julietteb.com/).