A Sonic Shade Of Light

By:  | October - 18 - 2013

Sonumbra, MoMA, New York, Sanderland, Africa, eco-friendly, sustainable, solar cells, Loop.pH, parasol, innovative textiles, smart design

Sonumbra is a light project by Loop.pH, London based art and design studio, intervening at an urban scale to re-imagine life in the city. For its very beginning, studio’s design practice aimed to reach beyond specialist boundaries, mediating between digital and biological media and facilitating urban crafts and participatory design. As Loop.pH specializes in the design and fabrication of ephemeral textile architecture and living environments, they create successful urban interventions informed by ecologically based parametric design and principles of community engagement.

Sonumbra is an outsize parasol, that could easily be planted in African village. During the day, it would offer shelter from the sun and by night it would shed light for the local community, using the energy collected in solar cells of the canopy. This smart design explores a new  role for textile while showing serious concern for the planet. At Loop.pH state that they were driven by the present situation in Africa,  where almost 80 percent of population lives without electricity.

The first version of Sonumbra was realized as a responsive play space in Mowbray Park, Sunderland. It is designed to respond to the interplay and activity of the people orbiting the umbrella by casting a sonic shade of light. The playful atmosphere of rhythms, luminous patters and harmonies is composed by the visitors’ movement – active or passive. the light emitting textile is crafted into a lacework of many electro-luminescent fibers and animated in concert with the generated surround sound and visually illustrates the visitors’ position within the constellation. Visitor’s engagement plays a part and the composition becomes unique assemblage of light, sound and space.

Loop.pH was invited to present their recent experiments in responsive textile architecture as part of the Design and the Elastic Mind exhibition at MoMA.

Sonumbra, MoMA, New York, Sanderland, Africa, eco-friendly, sustainable, solar cells, Loop.pH, parasol, innovative textiles, smart design

Sonumbra, MoMA, New York, Sanderland, Africa, eco-friendly, sustainable, solar cells, Loop.pH, parasol, innovative textiles, smart design

Sonumbra, MoMA, New York, Sanderland, Africa, eco-friendly, sustainable, solar cells, Loop.pH, parasol, innovative textiles, smart design

Sonumbra, MoMA, New York, Sanderland, Africa, eco-friendly, sustainable, solar cells, Loop.pH, parasol, innovative textiles, smart design

 

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