City Echoes

Perspectives and Context

• Inspiration from Kinetic Art

  • Using mechanical motion to express time and change through dynamic forms, Burnham (Kineticism, 1969)

• Light as Sculpture Medium

  • Light is a non-material medium that sculpts ephemeral, experiential spaces.Burnham (Light as Sculpture Medium, 1969)

• Phenomenological Immersive Experience

  • Light and space artists like Turrell use minimal forms to create immersive experience and engage sensory perception. Schuld (Practically Nothing, 2011)

• Cultural Reflection

  •  Machine art’s role in reflecting technological and cultural shifts, engaging contemporary societal issues. Broekmann (Machine Art, 2017)

Development & Technical Implementation

To bring City Echoes to life, I began with physical prototyping. Using 3mm black acrylic sheets, I laser-cut and stacked pieces to form the structural base. Transparent acrylic plates—each attached with dichroic film—were cut into abstract city shapes. These were then mounted onto servo arms, allowing individual movement. I used an Arduino Mega to control all 24 servos, running multiple tests to ensure synchronized motion and mechanical stability. After confirming the mechanical setup, I moved on to programming the lighting sequences, carefully coordinating the servo movements with the LED strip animations.

The final light performance unfolds in three distinct stages. In the first, a single point of light travels steadily from one end to the other, changing speed and color in a looping rhythm. In the second stage, multiple light pulses appear intermittently in warm tones, chasing one another along the strip. Finally, about 30% of the LEDs flash on in randomized colors, casting a vibrant wash over the entire installation.

The servos follow a parallel three-part choreography. Initially, they remain still, reinforcing a sense of urban stillness. In the second stage, 50% of the servos begin to rotate gently and at random, suggesting fragmentation. In the final stage, all servos move together in a more rapid, unified motion, evoking the intensity of a transforming city.

Together, the light and motion sequences guide the viewer through an emotional narrative. The flowing shadows and calmed light in the first stage suggest an intact, orderly city. As light pulses accelerate and movement increases, the cityscape appears to break apart and shift. In the climax, the entire scene bursts into color and motion—representing chaos, growth, or transformation. The final return to a slow loop and stillness symbolizes a reset, inviting reflection on the cyclical nature of urban evolution.

Code:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1PMy4NoPnFesTuB46FSnpTrFSWctEfZwF?usp=sharing

Presentation

The audience response was more positive than I anticipated. I noticed that many people were drawn to the light and shadow play, often pausing to watch it for an extended time. During the class presentation, the synchronization between light and movement wasn’t fully refined, so I revisited the code before the IMA show to improve the transitions and enhance the overall cohesion of the experience.

Conclusion

One of the most valuable lessons I gained from this project was in physical design. As someone who hadn’t previously designed a product from scratch, even creating a simple base and a few geometric structures took considerable time and iteration. I spent a lot of effort adjusting the height, width, and precise hole placements for the servos and acrylic holders. I’m especially grateful for Dalin’s advice—particularly on using laser cutting for the base instead of 3D printing, which saved both time and allowed for easier refinements.

I also learned a great deal about wiring. With over 100 wires involved, cable management became crucial. Without proper organization, troubleshooting would have been nearly impossible. This experience showed me how essential physical clarity is when working with complex electronics—something that’s easy to underestimate until you're deep in the debugging process.

In terms of improvement, I wish I had explored more combinations of light and motion. There was definitely room to develop a richer interaction between the two, but the physical setup made each round of testing physically exhausting. With the Arduino and breadboards mounted underneath the base, every adjustment became a tedious process, which gradually wore me out. In the end, I had to compromise and settle on what was already working, even though I knew there was more potential to push the piece further. In future projects, I’d rethink the hardware layout to make experimentation less taxing and more sustainable.

Looking ahead, I’m interested in expanding the installation into a larger format—perhaps one where viewers can walk inside the circle of the cityscape. Their presence and shadows could then become part of the piece, interacting with the city forms and contributing to the layered shadowplay. If time permits, I’d love to explore that direction further.