Distance within Light
Tom Xia
Advisor: Daniel Shiffman, Alexander Porter
How can a motion-responsive ceiling screen in a public space alter perceptions of distance and movement, and create a new sensory experience?
Abstract
"Distance within Light" is an interactive light installation exploring how evolving norms impact spatial perception and social dynamics within a reimagined speakeasy setting. This project investigates light's potential to visualize and reshape our understanding of personal and communal space.
With a background in architectural design driven by understanding the human scale in built environments, the project stems from being trained to use average body height (5-6ft) as the standard vertical module for perceiving physical spaces. However, recent shifts have fundamentally altered how we navigate and interact in public environments.
A large customizable LED ceiling panel (30ft x 10ft, 10ft height) reacts to user movement, translating physical distances between individuals into dynamic color gradients. Inspired by proxemics, the study of spatial use in human interactions, the installation visualizes intimate to public zones with varying light intensities and color combinations.
Commissioned to convert a dim back kitchen into a bar, the goal was fostering a shared experience in this confined space. Inspired by artists like Turrell and Eliasson manipulating spatial perception through light, the solution transforms the entire ceiling into an interactive panel. This dynamic canvas captures user coordinates, translating people into color "blobs" that track movement and merge when in proximity, reflecting personal boundaries' fluidity.
By visualizing ephemeral interpersonal distances tangibly and dynamically, 'Distance within Light' invites viewers to reconsider spatial awareness and interactions within confined environments. The immersive, responsive installation reflects our evolving social fabric post-pandemic.
Technical Details
A large LED ceiling panel that reacts to people's movement underneath it in a restaurant & bar. The idea is to use depth sensing to detect people's X,Y coordinates and reflect on the LED panel in the form of color blobs, and the blobs would follow people as they walk through the space. And this LED ceiling would potentially be the only light source of the bar, which leaves the atmosphere creation of the space to the customers based on movements.
Research/Context
Previously, the concept of ‘six feet’ was a measurement often associated with vertical dimensions, like human height. The pandemic, however, shifted this perception to a horizontal context, with floor markings in public spaces helping people visualize and adhere to this new understanding of distance. This project is born out of the profound changes in social interaction and spatial awareness brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, it was the widespread implementation of the six-foot social distancing guidelines that sparked my interest. These guidelines not only altered our daily interactions but also fundamentally changed our perception of physical space. With the introduction of social distancing measures, our perception of distance transformed from the vertical to the horizontal axis. The guidelines, marked by physical tapes on the floor in public spaces, made us acutely aware of maintaining a minimum of six feet of separation from others. This change forced us to reconsider how we navigate and occupy shared spaces.
Proxemics, the study of how people perceive and use space during interactions, became especially relevant. It highlighted how the horizontal dimension of distance, once taken for granted, had a significant impact on our daily lives. We began to visualize this newfound understanding through the markings on the floor, which even after the pandemic, the invisible boundaries has marked in everyone’s perception.
My project intends to use light as a visual material to examine the distance between people within a confined recreational space.
