The Creators Project: Ordinarily electronics and water don’t go together too well, but that’s not the case for this public artwork Water Light Graffiti by artist Antonin Fourneau and Digitalarti Artlab.
For this project—which was set up in Poitiers, France in July—the artist created a surface embedded with thousands of LEDs that light up when brought into contact with water. You can use any damp surface like a wet paintbrush, your hands, a spray, a bowl, even a bucket. Splash it on there and once the water hits the moisture-sensitive surface the LEDs light up to provide you with your masterpiece.
20 comments:
Hey what a fantastic public art project this is! It reminds me a lot of those zen boards that you can paint on with water which quickly evaporates and disappears. Only this is a much more modern and exciting take on that board. Also, what a fantastic documentation of the project. The biggest drawback, in my opinion, of public or performance art is maybe also its biggest strength- that it only is able to reach a smallish, specific audience. It's not often something that you can hear about and go look up later in a museum. So when pieces like this have such a well filmed representation of the art, it stretches the audience and the influence of the artwork which is a very valuable thing. The audio and the filming style seem to go along well with the actual work itself, and nothing is too explicitly explained which can ruin an artwork.
That is stunning! First of all, the technology is amazing. This is the first I've heard of any moisture sensitive LEDs, and it's incredible that the board worked consistently over the course of the installation. It is also such a great idea to have temporary, interactive, and free "graffiti." I love the video of all of the different people, including a lot of kids, finding away to publicly express themselves with the lights. It looked so fun, I would have loved to have seen it up. I also wonder if they consistently took pictures of the different creations. It would make a great photojournalism piece. This project could really be continued. It would be awesome if someone started setting these up in different cities internationally.
Incredible! I think that it's awesome that not only are these moisture-sensitive LED lights an impressive medium, but making art with them is also a vehicle for performance art. I wish there were more information regarding the science of how it works, how much it costs to produce, how replicable the system is, etc... Just like any toy gun, my inner child sees someone else play with it and immediately wants to try it too!
The more and more I see technological advances with lighting, I just can't help but thinking about how this will be used in theatre and how it can be used in so many ways. Last week we saw the new wig by Lady Gaga with the lights and now water sensitive LED lights. This is amazing. This could be one more way for a set designer to make a set more abstract or a way for a lighting designer to get more creative in how the lights are used in the show. It can even allow the director allow the actors to connect more with the technical side of theatre that they may not always be exposed to. I just see this new technology to be another way to modernize and renovate our outlooks on theatre and bring the many aspects of theatre together even more than they already are.
I absolutely love this idea. Whenever I pass by graffiti on the street, I always think about how it is a shame that such (sometimes) beautiful art is created in an illegal way, sometimes with bad taste. The idea of water sensitive LED lights creating graffiti could be a great solution for citizens to release their artistic anxieties. This idea is also revolutionary in the world of theatre. Water sensitive LED lights could do so much for our industry. I hope that technology such as this is used and embraced in the industry.
I love seeing more and more awesome public art projects like this one. It's always inspiring to see a group of complete strangers share a laugh or a smile because they've created something unique together. I'm intrigued by this water-sensitive LED technology and I wish this article could have gone a bit more in-depth into how it works. Like Jason said, I can envision a number of spectacular applications for this technology in theatre, but also with other art and performance forms such as dance. One downside to using this technology that would have to be taken into consideration, though, is the fact that the movement of the water (and therefore the reaction of the LEDs) in an effect suing this technology could only be controlled so much, as water is fluid and must be controlled in a very specific way if its movement is to be kept under control so that it hits a target relatively consistently. That being said, this technology is awesome and I hope to see it in person soon!
This is such an awesome idea. First of all, it combines my two favorite things, paint and lighting. Also, if the world suddenly had a tun of money and could put these on every street corner, i don't think anyone would care if graffiti is illegal or not. I would love to see something like this one stage. It could be used as the set and have graffiti artists come out and paint each scene or even have the characters paint, or it could be some really interesting prop used for story telling. I wonder if there's any way to do this with color? I think that if the lights were in color, or capable of changing colors, the images that might be placed on the screen would be even that much more powerful.
Wow, this is amazing. I cant even imagine how this was made, but it would be amazing to see it start spreading around the world. There are so many possibilities with this one. I think it would be a fantastic to children's museums everywhere. Its such a great combination of science and art and could really help set them on a path for and appreciation of both and of using the two together, which it think will be so important with how much technology has taken over our lives and will most likely do so increasingly in the coming years.
If they could get the cost down enough & get the safety ratings high, it would also make a great at home activity for kids. maybe the new generation's version of Light Bright. This has potential to sell a lot with the "no mess" concept of it. & its so versatile it would be great for all ages.
This is a fantastic tool with many capabilities both inside and out of the entertainment industry. First off, it would be interesting to see how something like this could be employed in the making of a show. Because, as we all know, if there's a way to use it in performance (and there usually is), someone will find it. That being said, the possibilities lying outside that are far reaching as well. Places like museums and art galleries could definitely benefit from the experimental use of such a "toy." It will also be interesting to see if something such as this would become readily commercially available at a lower cost. I think that would beo ne of the next steps in development in the you &game industries.
I really want to play with it. I cant think of a ton of applications for it in theater but its just a cool invention. Like previous commentors I impressed at the water resistance of the LEDs and their ability to continue working. In my experience LEDs like that tend to go out all the time especially right before homework is due or when you need it to test something. I wonder if this piece involves a lot of upkeep, it wouldn't be hard to replace one or two LEDs but if he has to replace a lot of them a lot of the time I don't think the piece will last very long. I like that the video gives some idea of the circuitry though cool stuff, very impressive. And I really want to play with it.
Wow this is so awesome! Such an inventive and interactive use of technology to create a beautiful public art piece! I also strongly agree with what Jess said, that this is a great release for artists who might have had no other medium than to illegally create art. This new technology certainly seems like it would have many applications in our industry... right off the top of my head it'd be really cool to see what Cirque du Soleil could do with something like this in "O"... last week was Gaga's new wig, and this week comes water-sensitive lights... two different applications that would never have been possible without today's technology, and I cannot wait to see how much more lighting technology progresses.
I always admire new ways of doing old things. Reinventing graffiti is so cool! especially using technology to do it. Its also fairly eco friendly using water instead of paint. A great way to expressive your artistic abilities in a clean way. I definitely see this being mass marketed to children. It also opens tons of new doors for designers in setdesign and lighting. I can definitely see this being used in a play or concert or even a form of public street art, like it is now. I love seeing new forms of art and technology converge. Its what moves culture forward.
Public art projects that encourage people to create their own art are really special. Anyone from a business man to a cashier can take a minute from their busy day and express themselves using someone elses art piece. I hope that these become more popular because they bring joy to random strangers lives. A similar project was this campaign in Los Angeles where a group of people installed pianos in random public places and then sat back and watched what happened and you had people playing chopsticks and twinkle little star and then people playing Bach and musical numbers entertaining crowds of strangers passing by.
My favorite part about the article was how it started with exactly what I was thinking...water and LED's rarely go together. But this is a great example of how sometimes, they do.
I agree with what Hunter is saying with regards to the value of public art. Watching the video and seeing the little kids and adults alike playing with this awesome creation was wonderful. I wonder how cool projects like this could be made profitable for the creator while not stifling use by charging the public too much. I would love to see things like this on all city streets, but I know that won't happen until it is economically viable.
I think this is a really cool installation piece. You never usually want to hear water and electrics in the same sentence, but in this case, Fourneau creates a masterpiece. He has taken vandalism and turned it into something legal, beautiful, and public. I wish the article talked about how he thought of the project, how he created it, and how long the water picture lasts on the LED board. There are these Asian sketch boards where you use water to paint with, and the paper turns black where the water hit. The downside is that you have to wait a long time for the water to dry in order to create another artwork. I'm wondering if it's the same case with the LED board: do you have to wait for the water to dry, or is there a way to reset the board?
This is pretty kool. First the technology itself. That is pretty amazing. All I can currently think of is having a wall made out of these LEDS what would change color each time it was hit by rain. I think that could be an amazing avenue to explore, as well as a incredible installation art piece.
Also the ability to bring art to the massive and better yet a interactive art to the massive I think is a must have. The more art you are able to interact with, I think the more art you will learn to appreciate. Since so many time art is to be viewed, but this is designed to be interactive. Great Job!! LOVE IT! Wish we had a water LED wall.
This is a really wonderful public art installation. Art that actively involves audience participation to create and change it really is incredible. The technology behind this specific piece fascinates me, I wish the article went more in depth about it. It would be interesting to study the different things people created with the light wall, as more of a sociological observation than an artistic one.
Jumping on the bandwagon here people. Sorry. I have a special place in my small, grey heart for public art. I think the most incredible thing about this piece, and others like it, is when people abandon the intentions of the artist or installer, and start interacting on their own. At some point someone put down the little water gun and picked up a bucket, and then things got interesting. I'm sure the installers envisioned this too, but the great thing about art in public spaces is you never know what people will come up with. Of course, there are the drawbacks too. One can easily imagine a couple of, shall we say, less than sanitary ways with which this project could be interacted. And of course that's just part of the deal. "Monkey-proof" is a good way of thinking when designing public installations. If you give people enough rope in a public space, guaranteed, someone will hang themselves. In such a litigious world, I'm glad there are people willing to take risks, even a small one like this.
I was so excited to see such incredible advancements in the collaboration of art and technology. The way that technology has been invading our society is a little daunting, but I feel that this type of venture is really exploring technology AS an art and how that is moving the artistic world into unknown territory that is exciting and experimental!
of all the forms of art and self-expression, graffiti and guerrilla art are still met with hostility in society. Maybe it's because it is enacted in public spaces and not determined art locations. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that it's free to the audience? What ever the reason may be, it is projects such as this one which give me hope for a future in which artists such as Marc Jenkins, Shepard Fairey, and Banksy are held to the same respect as Picasso, Monet, and Warhol.
PS
I'm curious if the positive response from the public towards this specific installation had anything to do with the innocence of water?
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