Pharos

(2018) Data-Driven Kinetic Light & Sound Installation
Acrylic sphere, LEDs, motor, Arduino, Raspberry Pi & custom software.
more information at: kranidiotis.gr/pharos/

Pháros (from the ancient Greek word for lighthouse) is a data-driven kinetic light installation that interprets the properties of the discovered exoplanets into movement and light.

An acrylic sphere fitted in a long bar is rotating around a vertical axis. The sphere is throwing a beam of light, like a lighthouse, while it is moving in the middle of the room. The whole body of the sphere is also lighted and changing color eventually. The speed of rotation, the patterns of the light beam, and the color of the sphere are defined by the properties of a randomly selected exoplanet (a planet outside our solar system that orbits a star). For example, the speed of the exoplanet is defining the rotation speed of the sphere, the temperature defines the color of the sphere, and the discovery method the way that light is modulated. There is a screen (or a projection) where all the data of the selected exoplanet are visualized with minimalistic/futuristic aesthetics.