Matters of Illuminance - Transforming Light into Material Artifacts

Abstract

This research explores a process to transform light into physical artifacts. It develops a series of custom software systems to capture images of sunlight moving through a building and transform them into three-dimensional forms. It uses digital manufacturing methods to create the three-dimensional forms out of glass. The aim of this work is 1) to construct a methodology for recording light’s interaction with architecture as three-dimensional forms 2) to produce glass sculptures that exist in a fine art setting and contribute to the lineage of 21st century light artists. The academic contribution of this research builds upon the autographic design framework defined by Dietmar Offenhuber. Offenhuber describes the autographic design process as “the practice of shaping the conditions that allow traces to emerge and guiding their interpretation to demonstrate causality and evidence”.1 The technique I use to transform light into three-dimensional forms follows the four steps of the autographic design process. The goal of this technique is to provide a repeatable process and data format that captures information about light’s interaction with architecture at specific locations. The process produces three-dimensional forms, physical glass sculptures, and media that guide their interpretation, which can be interpreted to provide insight on the design and history of the building. The artistic contribution of this research produces glass sculptures that physicalize the shapes of light I observed and recorded at the location. The goal of these sculptures is to create meaningful physical artworks that reflect the nuanced shapes and subtle aesthetic qualities of natural light. Exhibiting the sculptures in spaces that are abundant with natural light creates new interactions between the glass and the light, offering unique visual experiences that change over time. I bolster these artworks with experiential accounts of my time spent in the building. The artwork I produced as part of this research was exhibited at the Wiesner Gallery at MIT and aims to exist in a fine arts setting, contributing to the lineage of Light & Space artists such as Larry Bell and Robert Irwin.