Light Installation Project
Memories are moments in time, fluid through past and present that evoke emotion, such are the histories buried below the surfaces of Fort Lane. Water is where all things began and diminish, like memories and moments in time. The works of trade of the Harbour are what sparked the life of Auckland City, in which the waters that met land were the threshold of transport and beginnings. How can the rich and layered history of Fort Lane be resurrected and integrated into the space to create a moment of resurrected time that captures it’s history? I propose a moment of intervention within the intersection between Fort Lane and Imperial Lane, where projections of light that mimic water are cast against facades and create a moment of timelessness that instill an ethereal aura. This moment will intoxicate the people who pass by for a brief moment, where they might feel a sense of weightlessness and reflection. A moment to pause and take in a mesmerizing visual display.
This project borrows inspiration from caustic light that can be seen cast and reflected through glass and water. These mesmerizing displays of animated light are projected onto the walls of Fort Lane and Imperial Lane, and through mirrored glass prisms placed at the foot of these facades. The design resurrects a forgotten rich history of Fort Lane and the wider area of Tāmaki Makaurau. A history of beginnings, of trade and transport, where the sea met the land and made way for the growth of Auckland City. The caustic
light reflections mimic the dancing waves of the sea, and materializes the relationship between the land and the sea.
The design aims to construct an atmosphere that is immaterial, using only projected light and small glass prisms as the means to develop the installation within Fort Lane. The aim is to maintain the existing use of the site as a thoroughfare and a commercial lane without the installation disrupting any activity that takes places daily. It instead becomes a part of the site, merged into it's walls and enticing the public with the beautiful visual displays, encouraging people to stop for a brief few minutes and absorb the surrounding moments. The design explored how light interacts with surfaces and how they build upon each other to form an atmosphere greater than either element on it's own.
Many experiments of photographing cast light onto objects and facade took place throughout the process, then further manipulating these photos using photo editing programs to enhance them and take them to their light and dark extremes. Illumine hopes to be significant as an installation that uses less material in a world where a conscious use of resources are a critical factor in a sustainable way of living.
