Untitled (Light Mirror)

An interactive work that reflects passersby as light.

An abstract interactive work that translates the movements of passersby into flickering patterns of light. The piece doesn't ask to be interacted with — it simply responds to whoever is nearby, quietly reflecting their presence back to them as color and glow.

This work surprised me. Frankly I had conceived of it as a design object, a formal exploration designed largely to fill space at an exhibition. And yet whenever I have it up, it does something much more evocative. It bears witness to my presence, accompanying my passage through its shared space, illuminating as we pass. During the daytime, it fades somewhat into the background, but every night the striking colors come as a surprise and a delight. With its subtle flickering motion, the piece seems to possess a kind of aliveness that exceeded my expectations. And it gave voice to one of my core research interests: what gives objects a sense of being or presence? How do we restore, or perhaps recognize, the liveliness in the things or entities we share space with?