Infernal Orb
Mesh fabric overlays and plastic diffusing materials
RGB LED pixels, individually addressable
Custom control hardware and software
12" x 12" x 13" tall
2025
This piece evokes images of a world becoming consumed by unbearable heat, in the form of an aesthetically pleasing distraction of flowing lights on the surface of a shimmering sphere.
The lighting is animated in three symbolic phases:
1) A blue-green living earth with temperatures that support our existence. The blue regions represent oceans, and the green regions represent land masses. The lights are animated in ever-changing flowing effects that can resemble currents, weather patterns, or even continental drift, although the time scale is sped up significantly.
2) A transitional period, where the color palette retains some blues and greens, but also adds purple and red, indicating regions of thermal disturbance.
3) A red-orange palette indicating a dying/dead planet that is too hot to support life.
These phases are repeated in a timed sequence, spending 30 seconds in the blue-green mode, 10 seconds in the transitional mode, 30 seconds in the red-orange mode, and 10 seconds in the transitional mode before starting over. A 5 second crossfade is performed during each mode change, so the color shifts seem less abrupt. Overall, the patterns are designed to be soothing and pleasant to look at, even though the message is quite grim.
The materials used are all synthetic, ranging from the acrylic foundation and plastic internal structures, to the outer layers of fabric and other decorative trims. The internal lighting is derived from RGB LED pixels, with control circuitry mounted on printed circuit boards. The piece also requires electricity from an external wall adapter. All of these components could be considered to be a contributing factor to the harmful effects of climate change.
When powered up, the piece plays the sequence continuously. It can also be set to run one a single pattern continuously, using the Enlighted iOS BLE App.
video
The video below demonstrates a full cycle of the animation.