Lightbox

About the 'Lightbox09' Blog

2009-08-26T13:54:00.000-07:00

The 'Lightbox09' blog by Karen Curley, features documentation on the collaborative 'Lightbox' installation which was premiered during the 'Lightwave 09' Festival at the Science Gallery in Dublin, Ireland, Jan-Feb 2009. Further iterative developments of the project are also covered here.

Modular Structures

2009-07-26T21:42:00.000-07:00

Researching possible geodesic dome construction methods for future iterations of the 'Lightbox' project. A more modular approach would enable ease of transportation, also it could facilitate variable scale domes/hemispheric Camera Obscura devices, with custom lenses being fitted to component parts.

Nordes 09

2009-07-20T03:29:00.000-07:00

Antony will be presenting a paper about our 'Lightbox' project at the upcoming Nordes 'Engaging Artifacts' Conference in Oslo.
We will also be exhibiting a revised version of 'Lightbox' in this nice industrial space at the Arkitektur og Designhøgskolen.

Nordic Design Research

Forever Disco

2009-06-08T04:53:00.001-07:00

For our Zeme presentation on 'Lightbox' at the Institute of Communication Design, we created a new temporary installation. Entitled 'Forever Disco' (long story!) and set in a glass elevator, we used recycled materials to create a moving camera obscura with inverted imagery from surrounding hillsides animating as the lift moved between floors. Further Guerrilla Obscuras are planned...

Lightwave - Beacon, Lightbox, EoD04

2009-03-02T06:33:00.000-08:00

Video excerpts from the Science Gallery channel, featuring a piece on Lightbox and also other artist exhibits by Chris O'Shea/Dominic Harris and Frederik de Wilde.

Lightbox Soundscape

2009-03-02T06:29:00.000-08:00

Further footage of the Lightbox installation can be viewed here with an edited soundtrack featuring the sonic accompaniment (as transmitted within Lightbox in real-time) which was produced for us by
Servando Barreiro.

Lovebox

2009-03-02T06:28:00.000-08:00

We noticed that Lightbox seemed to have a strange effect on visitors...so Antony began to keep count of all the displays of love and affection that became apparent inside!

Lightbox Footage

2009-03-02T05:55:00.000-08:00

Some interior footage of the Lightbox installation, though sound is unedited/raw and there are low light conditions, these clips give a sense of the experience in spatial terms.

They also demonstrate some of the Camera Obscura effects (imagery & passers-by being inverted in real-time) as viewed through a multitude of refracting lenses.

However the immersive atmosphere inside Lightbox is impossible to fully represent or reproduce on film...!

Lightbox on Radio New Zealand

2009-02-24T06:48:00.000-08:00

We were invited to speak on Radio NZ 'Nights' show with Bryan Crump (which took place by muffled cellphones on the roof of a bar at the Lightwave launch after party..!)

A podcast archive of the interview can be heard here.

Lightwave 09 Launch

2009-02-24T05:24:00.000-08:00

At the public opening night of Lightwave 09 festival at the Science Gallery, there were often queues to access Lightbox.
It is estimated that almost 17,000 people visited Lightbox as part of the Lightwave 09 public program of events.

Some further Lightwave festival details and exhibition coverage on the Science Gallery youtube channel.

The Build - Day 6

2009-02-21T05:06:00.000-08:00

Mounting an embedded flat screen monitor to display real-time auroral data from Antarctica and some final projection display calibration.

Lightbox Press Photo

2009-02-21T04:39:00.000-08:00

This representative image, shot inside Lightbox prior to the official Lightwave launch, became a key press photograph.

The Build - Day 5

2009-02-20T04:29:00.000-08:00

Mounting a series of fresnel lenses (some pliable), then final light-proofing, before attaching our interior vinyl back projection skin and conducting some depth of field lighting tests.

The Build - Day 4

2009-02-20T03:59:00.000-08:00

Installing glass lenses, touching up paint and confirming exhibition signage...

The Build - Day 3

2009-02-20T03:30:00.000-08:00

Setting up the 'behind-the-scenes' tech system, 5 laptops with footage loops going out to 5 projectors (some calibration tweaking as these are mounted above the Lightbox).

Also some interior screen materials testing to check optical effects in conjunction with video/light sources.

The Build - Day 2

2009-02-20T03:09:00.000-08:00

...and more of the same on the flip side, we're already starting to see some nice light effects.

The Build - Day 1

2009-02-20T02:38:00.000-08:00

After our initial jetlag and much fine coffee intake, our taped up floor-plan soon became a large box...upon which we projected a star map of the Southern Skies and into which we drilled 1000s of holes (which would become our custom lens system).

Antony went wild with a range of drillbits, whilst Karen documented/dusted alot and prepared final video edits.

Lightwave at The Science Gallery

2009-01-18T02:49:00.000-08:00

LIGHTWAVE at the Science Gallery gives you a unique chance to experiment with illumination in the company of a bright and buzzing community of scientists, engineers, philosophers and techno-artists who are passionate about the visible spectrum.

From January 23-31st the LIGHTWAVE festival will thrill and delight Dublin city, and the LIGHTWAVE exhibition will continue until February 20th.

Visual Mockups

2009-01-10T07:10:00.000-08:00

A sample mockup of initial visualisations regarding what might be perceived by viewers within the interior space of Lightbox (sampled footage before the Camera Obscura inversion effect!)

Construction Blueprints

2009-01-10T07:00:00.000-08:00

With some help from our friends in the Spatial Design department we have constructed a design plan for the Lightbox structure.

This can be adapted dependent on architectural space and will probably become narrower when finally installed in the Science Gallery.

Prototype Interior

2008-12-02T01:36:00.000-08:00

These shots give a basic impression of the Aurora Australis effect inside our prototype Camera Obscura...

Antarctic Images by Anthony Powell

2008-12-01T01:58:00.000-08:00

Anthony Powell has kindly given us permission to use some of his excellent footage as part of the Lightbox project.

Whilst working as Satellite Communications Tech at Scott Base, he is also a photographer who documents Antarctic landscapes, wildlife, aurora and bases. Anthony is a recipient of NSF Artists & Writers Grant and is currently working on a feature length time-lapse film.

Antarctica Condition 1 Weather

2008-12-01T01:57:00.000-08:00

Filmed at McMurdo Station where it is relatively sheltered by the surrounding hills. The weather down here is classified as being Condition 3 (nice weather), Condition 2 (not so nice), or Condition 1...

Scott Base Webcams

2008-12-01T01:55:00.000-08:00

Video camera at Scott Base located in Hillary Field Centre briefing room, looking towards Pressure Ridges on the Ross Ice Shelf.

Scott Base - Ross Island

2008-12-01T01:54:00.000-08:00

Live weather data from NZ base in Antarctica.

NIWA Antarctica

2008-12-01T01:50:00.000-08:00

NIWA scientists have worked for many years on Antarctic atmospheric processes and aquatic ecosystems. Research vessel RV Tangaroa also supplies logistical support for scientific studies and hydrographic surveys in the Southern Ocean.

Interior Screens

2008-11-26T20:31:00.001-08:00

Interior views, with external test objects being transformed when viewed from within.

Lens/Aperture Testing

2008-11-26T20:29:00.000-08:00

Variable settings for different Lens/Apertures.

Covered Construction

2008-11-26T20:28:00.000-08:00

Covered box construction with full stage lighting rig.

Light-proofing

2008-11-26T20:22:00.000-08:00

Lightproof 'wrapping' of the overall frame.

Prototype Build

2008-11-26T19:45:00.000-08:00

Some initial shots of prototype frame construction.

The Birkeland Terrella

2008-11-20T15:53:00.000-08:00

Norwegian physicist Kristian Birkeland (1867-1917) began his own study based in the long tradition of work with electromagnetic terrellas. Between 1896 and 1913 he pursued a series of gas-discharge experiments in his laboratory at the University of Christiania (modern Oslo), directed primarily at reproducing in the laboratory the effects of the Aurora Borealis.

Article on Sphæra: the Newsletter of the Museum of the History of Science, Oxford

PALAOA

2008-11-17T04:54:00.000-08:00

Providing an acoustic live stream of the Antarctic underwater soundscape...more than 15000 km lie between Antarctica and AWI. Underwater sound is recorded by two hydrophones at PALAOA, an autonomous, wind and solar powered observatory located on the Ekström ice shelf. The data stream is transmitted via wireless LAN to the German Neumayer Base and then by satellite link to AWI in Germany.

PALAOA - Transmitting live from the Ocean below the Antarctic Ice

Scenes from Antarctica

2008-11-11T19:54:00.000-08:00

Down in Antarctica, November marks the end of spring, the beginning of austral summer, and the beginning of Antarctica's cruise season. The Sun just rose for the first time in 6 months on September 22nd, and is now visible in the sky all the time.

Collected here are 32 photographs of Antarctica from the past several years

Earthstar

2008-11-11T14:23:00.000-08:00

Earthstar comprises three elements: customised antennae tuned to radio bursts emitted by the sun, footage of the solar chromosphere captured using a Hydrogen-Alpha telescope, refrigerators containing specially developed aroma molecules that hypothesise what the sun might smell like.

Earthstar by David Haines and Joyce Hinterding

Encounters At the End of the World

2008-11-07T21:26:00.000-08:00

There is a hidden society at the end of the world. One thousand men and women live together under unbelievably close quarters in Antarctica, risking their lives and sanity in search of cutting-edge science.

Encounters At the End of the World by Werner Herzog

Initial Design Sketches

2008-10-29T07:16:00.000-07:00

Some early thoughts on possible Lightbox construction techniques (less a box and more a yurt)...

Interview with Paul D. Miller on 'Terra Nova'

2008-10-28T20:17:00.000-07:00

An Interview with Paul D. Miller on his Antarctica film Terra Nova, collaboration with DJ Spooky, large scale multimedia performance 'Sinfonia Antarctica'.

Interview with Paul D. Miller on Networked_Performance

Igloo Satellite Cabin

2008-10-11T18:03:00.000-07:00

Designed to provide safe, reliable accommodation in remote areas, the Igloo Satellite Cabin has been used for over 25 years in conditions ranging from the tropics to polar icecaps. Units can be flown by helicopter fully assembled, and often fully equipped, to locations inaccessible by road transport.

Igloo Satellite Cabin article on Materialicious

Lightwave Proposal

2008-10-11T07:29:00.000-07:00

Some initial treatments for the Lightwave 09 proposal, also more details on Antony's blog .

2008-09-18T01:10:00.001-07:00

2008-09-18T01:09:00.000-07:00

Outside-in, upside-down

2008-09-18T01:00:00.000-07:00

Abelardo Morell travels the world and converts full-size rooms (some spare, some ornately rococo) into immense camera obscura devices. He brings the outside in through a tiny pin-hole, and by the alchemy of optics, the outside is projected quite naturally upside down superimposing and hugging the surfaces of everything in the room. Then, he photographs the resulting “installation” with his 8 x 10 view camera and enlarges the prints to mural size.

Lens Culture photographer interview: Abelardo Morell

Rakiura

2008-09-18T00:49:00.000-07:00

The Māori name for Stewart Island, at the south of the South Island, is Rakiura, which means ‘glowing skies’. This may allude to the aurora australis, or simply to the dramatic southern sunsets.

Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Weather in Antarctica

2008-09-18T00:45:00.000-07:00

One can only observe auroral displays at the South Pole during the six months from March to September, the rest of year the Pole experiences 24 hours of sunlight.

Antarctic Connection

Deep South Astrophotography

2008-09-18T00:39:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Photography of the Southern Lights across the South Island of New Zealand.

Night Sky images by Stephen Voss

Wellington Astronomical Society

2008-09-18T00:35:00.000-07:00

The auroral displays created by the sun's energy entering our atmosphere at high speed can sometimes be seen at latitude 41 degrees south. The Australasian Telephone Aurora Alert network is triggered at such times, to enable as many people as possible to see and image the display from their location.

http://www.was.org.nz/01aa.html

Paleo-camera Theory

2008-09-18T00:34:00.000-07:00

Harsh climates in the Paleolithic era forced humans and their predecessors to adopt heat-retaining dwelling strategies, including the use of hide tents in cave mouths, under rock overhangs, and in the open. Small random holes in these hide tents would have coincidentally and occasionally formed camera obscuras, projecting moving images inside the dwelling spaces. These ghostly images carried with them spiritual, philosophical, and aesthetic implications.

Field reconstructions to test Paleo-camera Theory

Aurora Australis time-lapse footage

2008-09-18T00:28:00.000-07:00

Filmed during the Antarctic winter in the general vicinity of McMurdo Station and Scott Base, where the sun is below the horizon for 4 months of the year.
Most of the individual clips here were each taken over about a 10 minute period to give you an idea of how much they were moving in real time.

Time-lapse footage of the Aurora Australis, by Anthony Powell

Auroral Mechanism

2008-09-18T00:21:00.000-07:00

Auroras can also be understood as being caused by the collision of charged particles (such as electrons) found in the magnetosphere with atoms in the Earth's upper atmosphere (at altitudes above 80 km). These charged particles are typically energized to levels between 1,000 and 15,000 electronvolts and, as they collide with atoms of gases in the atmosphere, the atoms become energized. Shortly afterward, the atoms emit their gained energy as light (see Fluorescence). Light emitted by the aurora tends to be dominated by emissions from atomic oxygen, resulting in a greenish glow (at a wavelength of 557.7 nm) and—especially at lower energy levels and higher altitudes—a dark-red glow (at 630.0 nm wavelength). Both these represent forbidden transitions of electrons of atomic oxygen that (in the absence of newer collisions) persist for a long time and account for the relatively slow (0.5-1 s) brightening and fading of auroral rays. Many other colors—especially those emitted by atomic and molecular nitrogen (blue and purple, respectively)—can also be observed. These, however, vary much faster and reveal the truly dynamic nature of auroras.

The Aurora Borealis as viewed from the International Space Station Expedition 6 team.

Magnetosphere Schematic

2008-09-17T21:46:00.005-07:00

Interactions between the solar wind, the Earth's magnetic field, and the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF)

Tahu-nui-a-rangi

2008-09-17T21:46:00.004-07:00

Tahu-nui-a-rangi (noun) aurora australis, southern lights - a luminous electrical atmospheric phenomenon usually of streamers of light in the sky above the southern magnetic pole.

Auroral Activity

2008-09-17T21:46:00.003-07:00

22 auroral activity images from the POLAR spacecraft (11 from the VIS instrument, and 11 from the UVI instrument).

POLAR Auroral Activity Images

1-2-TRE:6

2008-09-17T21:46:00.002-07:00

Camera Obscura project at NTNU, Trondheim

Camera Obscuras

2008-09-17T21:45:00.000-07:00

Camera obscura design and construction services by George T. Keene

Camera obscuras