I recently came acros an old article from Environmental Graffiti about the glow worm, a sophisticated cave-dwelling predator that creates an elegant, glowing landscape that lures in its prey. This reminded me of a a rather old project out of Athens, Greece that I thought to be quite lovely. The temporary, interactive urban installation was called White Noise White Light and was installed as one of nine installations during the 2004 Olympics and was sited at the base of the Acropolis which provided quite a stunning backdrop.

I don’t think the designers at Howeler + Yoon Architecture actually used the glow worm as their muse but nevertheless, there is a fascinating connection in form and somewhat in function as well. People are drawn in by points of light light like a moth to a flame but instead of being snared, the light brightens and moves as they pass through the sea of fiber-optic stalks. The movement produces a visual flow of light and at the same time activates a tiny hidden speaker.

From the designers, “Comprised of a 50′x50′ grid of fiber optics and speakers, ‘White Noise / White Light’ is an interactive sound and light field that responds to the movement of people as they walk through it. What appears at first to be a static, neutral and transparent grid of vertical markers dissolves into a luminous sound-scape by night. As pedestrians enter into the fiber optic field their presence and movement are traced by each stalk unit, transmitting white light from LED’s and white noise from speakers below. Just as white light is made of the full spectrum of color, white noise contains every frequency within the range of hearing in equal amounts. If motion is detected, the white LED illumination grows brighter while the white noise increases in volum. Once motion is no longer detected, the light and sound fade into dimness and silence.”

A movie of the installation is below:

images via Howeler + Yoon Architecture and Environmental Graffiti

While I am not wild about the turf in this courtyard of a residence in Bangalore, Inida, I am however intrigued by this space, especially that it is above the ground level. Cadence, an architectural group from India, has chosen to abandon the traditional thought of what a courtyard is, typically in the center of a dwelling and instead here the court is shifted to one of the outer quadrants to create a stronger relationship with the outdoor world rather. This enhances an outward connection versus creating a introverted dwelling. The light streaming through the perforated walls exhibits a characteristic similar to light streaming through trees, enhancing the effect of being at a higher level. Perhaps like a tree house.

A sculptural element creates the centerpiece to the open air court. This flexible element houses the tree and allows for an informal outdoor eating and sitting space. I quite like the fluid lines of this piece.

images via archdaily

I absolutely love graffiti but not only spray can kind, the momentary kind as well. More and more graffiti artists are using light to express themselves and creating amazing works of art in a matter of seconds. Artists Michael Bosanko has made some that I think are really fun and they use light to bring life to otherwise uninhabited spaces under the light of the moon.

images via michael bosanko