Skylight

Skylight was a responsive video installation at the Canadian Center for Architecture's All Nighter for Nuit Blanche 2009 in Montreal. A 14x10 rear-projection screen was hung horizontally at gallery-level above the entrance stairway. A camera mounted on the screen and facing toward the stairs and the entrance doorway captured the movements of visitors. The data from the camera was used to drive a realtime Navier-Stokes fluid simulation which was mixed with the original video feed and projected onto the screen for under-side and top-side viewing. As visitors entered and exited the museum, they looked up to see themselves reflected in a cloudy, viscous dream-world. By moving, they were able to shape and mold the video-matter surrounding them. Along with the video projection, LED lamps were positioned in the gallery facing downward to illuminate the stairs.

Credits

Skylight was a collaboration between Morgan Sutherland (responsive video, concept), Michael Fortin (Navier-Stokes fluid simulation), and the Topological Media Lab. Thank you to Saulo Madrid, Michael Kogan, and Sha Xin Wei whose help and guidance was invaluable. Support came from the Topological Media Lab, the CCA, and Hexagram Concordia.