Media and tech designers Blow Factory offered the Sentier the idea of providing some interactive fun and excitement, using Light Emissions creative LED video display system. Blow Factory owner Paula Guastella had worked with Light Emissions previously in London, and knew that the Art system could provide the brightness and pure video speed needed.
Blow Factory's Paula Guastella explains, "We wanted to surprise people entering the lobby. As they walk past this large glass wall with colourful moving images, they spot their own 'body shadow' shown on the screen. They stop, turn around and wave and have a little dance!"
A standard Kinect optical sensor is used with a mini-Mac providing the video input to Light Emissions Brain video input module. This then simply connected to 7x7 ArtBoard Display boards with 37mm pixel resolution. An 8mm thick frosted glass diffuser was placed in front of the display boards to provide a smooth visual image.
Key to any permanent installation, especially behind a glass wall, is the highest reliability possible. Light Emissions system design, separating the display LEDs from the local processing and power management ensures that the need to remove the glass panels is all but eliminated.
(Jim Evans)