Luminous Interactive is a digital art platform created by Lendlease in collaboration with Ramus Illumination. It officially opened on 18 May 2012 in the Darling Quarter Precinct,

Sydney central business district The Sydney central business district (CBD) is the historical and main Central business district, commercial centre of Sydney. The CBD is Sydney's city centre, or Sydney City, and the two terms are used interchangeably. Colloquially, the CBD or c ...

(CBD). Luminous at Darling Quarter is a permanent platform solely for illuminated digital 'art' – both animated and static. The 'canvas' extends over four levels of two campus-style buildings, covering 557 windows in total, and presents a digital façade spanning a distance of 150 meters. The artistic and design direction was set by international light artist Bruce Ramus, with Ramus studio responsible for design management and production of the work. Fixtures were manufactured by Australian architectural lighting specialists Klik Systems using advanced

LED A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor Electronics, device that Light#Light sources, emits light when Electric current, current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy i ...

systems.

Interactive

The online component of Luminous is similar to

Project Blinkenlights Project Blinkenlights was a light installation in the Haus des Lehrers building at the Alexanderplatz in Berlin that transformed the building front into a giant low-resolution monochrome computer screen. The installation was created by the ...

, a Berlin digital light installation, and allows use by the public.

Luminous concept

The

Commonwealth Bank The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), or CommBank, is an Australian multinational bank with businesses across New Zealand, Asia, the United States and the United Kingdom. It provides a variety of financial services including retail, busines ...

occupying the buildings is joint partner in the project along with the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority and Lendlease. The consortium selected Bruce Ramus as the first artist, Artistic Director and Lighting Designer for Luminous.

Technology

At Darling Quarter, each window forms a 'pixel' in the canvas and forms an animated picture when viewed from far away. The system uses RGBW LEDs (red, green blue and white light emitting diodes) for colour. It also integrates music using graphic synchronisation to visualise sound-based designs. Darling Quarter uses automated timber louvres to reflect light (running along the windowsills, angled upwards with a 10-degree spreader lens). The lighting technology is powered using solar panels.

Darling Quarter

Lendlease designed and constructed Darling Quarter for owner APPF Commercial and first proposed the idea of a permanent space for illuminated art. Darling Quarter precinct includes a community green, children’s playground, and a large number of world-food restaurants, cafes and bars, and reflects Lend Lease’s enthusiasm for iconic new spaces for future generations.

References

External links

DesignboomArtdailyWSJ Life & StyleGuardian on Vivid SydneyKlik SystemsRamus Illuminationiion LtdLend LeaseDarling Quarter Official Website
{{coord, 33, 52, 30, S, 151, 12, 8.67, E, display=title Arts in Australia Digital technology Architectural lighting design Buildings and structures in Sydney