Lighted Screen

2015

Partners: Austin Anderson, Mia Johnson, Namku Kim, Sasha Tillmann

Disguise it.

In Lighted Screen, Winston Alford-Hamburg, Austin Anderson, Mia Johnson, Namku Kim, and Sasha Tillmann created a lighting installation that manipulates both natural and artificial light through the use of screens. The project utilizes three principal materials—frosted and crystal screens from a prefabricated ceiling system, chrome finish paper, and 800-lumen LED work lights. The screens are attached to both the floor and the parapet, creating an exterior skin that curves away from the drywall. The lights are positioned between the wall and the screens, transforming the installation into a study of illumination and perception.

Material lighting test, March 10th at 3 PM

Material lighting test, March 10th at 6PM

Material lighting test, March 10th at 12 PM

Material lightint test, March 10th at 8PM

Translucency

Two of the panels stand out due to their transparency, intentionally disrupting the symmetry of the installation. These panels reveal the mechanics behind the installation, inviting viewers to question the relationship between the materials and the light they manipulate.

Form

The designers maintained the original dimensions of the 48” screens, resisting the urge to cut or alter them. Instead, the curve of the panels was generated by the natural compression between the 43.5” parapet and the screens, producing a fluid, organic form without modification.

Light Source

The installation treats the LED work lights as key design elements, orienting them in various ways to achieve different lighting effects. One light lies flat on the ground, another leans partially upright, a third is fully vertical, and a fourth hangs suspended from the wall. This variation in placement creates a dynamic interaction with the screens and the light.

Reflection

The chrome finish paper reflects light across the installation, adding irregular bursts of brightness. Tacked to the wall in an uneven rhythm, the paper disrupts uniformity and maximizes the reflected light’s variability. The resulting light patterns simulate the transmission of light through the installation’s layers, contributing to a sense of movement.

Effect

The design team embraced the ambiguity produced by the interplay of light, screens, and reflections. While the installation’s system is transparent, its effects remain elusive. Light blurs and intensifies between the panels, creating a smoky, glowing effect that blurs the lines between the installation and its surroundings. By day, it is difficult to discern where the installation’s light ends and where the colored acrylic installation above begins—a productive ambiguity that defines the essence of Lighted Screen.