VICE Media commissioned us to design and build an interactive, smart LED grid for the installation pictured below. The concept uses Internet of Things technology, where the installation structure communicates with the camera of the laptop at its base and also with a remote server via a Raspberry Pi. Here's what all that tech makes possible...

Over time, the LED lights embedded throughout the structure of the installation gradually sweep through a color palette. The timing of the transitions between colors and the location where colors appear in the structure are based on simulated physics being repeatedly adjusted by the installation's computer. Because of this, the lighting has behaviors like those found in nature.

Additionally, when an individual approaches the structure, a camera detects various tones in their clothing and skin, and the installation adds those tones to its color palette. Those new colors are then subtly folded into its lighting scheme/themes.

This installation and its constituent components were able to communicate with a remote server so that the different installations around the world could share information about their palettes.