July 2017
Folded Light – Arup and AMP’s Light Origami
Resembling a giant 3D Kaleidoscope, Light Origami was a mesmerising installation at Vivid Sydney 2015. Conceived by Japanese Artist Kaz Shirane and Reuben Young, and brought to life by Arup, Light Origami provided an interactive experience for viewers.
A dome-shaped self-supporting structure with 320 geometric panels, Light Origami was curated by AMP and organised by AMP’s head of communications, Reuben Young. Changing spectrums of light were projected within the space. This created a kaleidoscopic effect when reflected against the aluminium composite panels. Light Origami attracted queues of viewers who wanted to make their own mark on the installation. When viewers entered the sculptural architecture of Light Origami, they became participants and co-creators. Here, movements were reflected in the mirrored panels and colours incorporated into the presentation of pattern and light. Tim Carr, Australasian leader of lighting at Arup, says Arup was originally brought on to take care of installation lighting. They went on to provide structural advice as well as acoustic design advice for the soundscape inside the dome.
“The main challenge structurally was that it was a non-proven design. In the model it worked; but it was only self supporting when it was completely finished. Once the last bit was in, it fell into place.”
Tim Carr : ARUP
Tim says one of the main attractions of working on a pop-up project like this is the short timeframe. “Our quickest projects tend to be seven to eight months. One of our projects, 8 Chifley, took five years, for example. To pull this together in a couple of months was really exciting.” Origami Light represented Arup’s 11th lighting project during Vivid Sydney 2015, and one of many Vivid collaborations with Light Project. Tim says the luminous installation is ready to travel: “It’s flat packable and we’re looking to send it elsewhere!” For Tim, a highlight of the project was working with some of Light Project’s more advanced lighting technology. “It’s great to allow the team hands-on experience with fancy stuff,” he says. We were more than happy to bring such a beautiful project to light!