Glowbits - 2004 to Present

DESCRIPTION:

GLOWBITS is a matrix of 3D pixels that physically move as their colors change - making real what has always been virtual.

When surfaces display images, their positions are dictated by the color they present. This can introduce a dimesion that is unavailable to current screen technology. Glowbits were born from the idea that a 2D surface can become an interactive 3D surface. Glowbits is a matrix of moveable large-scale LEDs representing pixels. Their movement can be autonomous or dependent on a user. Each one has a motor that allows them to display images in 3D form. As a general input/output device, they can be configured in various ways - depending on the intended outcome. A few possible configurations are:

• A 3D sculptable display and input device for use in art installations or museums;
• a 3D display similar to the 2D versions found on Times Square;
• a control interface for live performance;
• a tactile display to connect loved ones physically over distance.

My interest in tactile three-dimensional displays has deep roots in my desire to go beyond passive viewing. As a video artist I was frustrated by the lack of physical connections between the viewer and the medium. The faintest hint of the artist's strokes on the canvas; impressions of their fingers tips cast into the bronze of their sculpture; These are a few examples of the layering the audience has access to in the single moment of viewing an art work. Exploring the physical and emotional movement an art piece can provoke is the nature of this piece. These influences have been distilled into the current version of the Glowbits: a system that would allow testing of the following concepts:
1) 3D motorized display
2) 3D Sculptable Pixels

Video

click movie below to play

Glowbits introductory movie - a demonstration of sculptable pixels, 3D display & sound

Images

Glowbits - Front

Glowbits - Profile

Glowbits - sculptable pixels

Glowbits - electronics