Project

Light Sculptures

Copyright

Dexter Callender III LLC

Dexter Callender

The first in a series of sculptures that capture natural light patterns over time using computer vision.

This work seeks to investigate architectural history by analyzing a building's relationship to sunlight. 

Copyright

Dexter Callender III

Impetus

I've had a continual interest in understanding light and space in the physical world using code and digital tooling.  Sunlight varies cyclically with time.  Our perception of space shifts as sunlight reveals different contours and qualities of the spaces we inhabit, and then disappears altogether as the sunlight recedes in the evening.

Observation

The lobby of building E14 at the Media Lab expresses this phenomena nicely at sunrise during summer. 

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Dexter Callender

Implementation

I recorded footage of the sunlight phenomena at the Media Lab and used computer vision to extract characteristics in the lighting pattern across time. I then re-spatialized the data to produce a sculpture that compresses its time/space into one moment/object.

Copyright

Dexter Callender III

Result

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Dexter Callender LLC

Looking forward, I'm interested in investigating stories and experiences with architecture that can be uncovered by giving attention to a building's relationship to sunlight.

Copyright

Dexter Callender