Photophore: interactive facade installation, Luminale 2012

Photophore is a five storey veil of light situated along the river Main at the unique Seven Swans multi-functional restaurant, bar, office and hotel. Here, in the heart of Frankfurt, everyone is invited to take part in the festival of light. By scanning a QR code mounted on the facade the users are brought to a website, which allows them to interact with the veil.

The website invites you to swipe your finger across the touch screen of your smart phone, which will make the veil of light act as if it is being pushed, pulled, and thrown in response to input from the people on the street. The texture and dynamics of the veil adds a tangible materiality to the Seven Swans and gives the unique building a both ethereal and vivid expression when darkness falls.

Credits/technical setup:
The original concept is initiated by Jochen Schröder & Katja Winkelmann (Licht 01) who also planned the project, Martin Professional are responsible for hardware and installation and Kollision developed the interaction and programmed the interactive player.

The Photophore software is built in C++ and uses the Cinder library to create the real-time 3D responsive veil. A website allowing easier accessibility through html5’s JavaScript web socket technology was chosen.

The installation could be seen from the 15th to the 20th of April 2012 at Seven Swans, Mainkai 4, Frankfurt a. M., Germany