we turn our heads towards the light (or wander aimlessly in the dark)

This piece was created to take advantage of the physical space where it was installed as well as mimic the way the space was used as an architecture firm. The wall itself was constantly bathed in light from an overhead skylight, creating a shifting pattern of light and shadow. By using a series of light sensors positioned around the stylus, the machine can determine where locally around it the wall is brightest. At each drawing interval it locates the two brightest areas around it and then moves in a direction weighted between these two areas. The length of line it draws is based on the brightness differential of where it currently is compared to the average of the area around it. In areas that are overall bright the machine draws short line segments, while in darker or more varied areas it ends up drawing longer line segments in an attempt to end up in consistently bright areas.

The machine, in a sense, basks in the light of the wall, content and lethargic, while becoming anxious and restless when faced with being in shadows. In this way the machine not only is interacting with the physical environment of the space -- the cycle of light -- but is mimicking aspects of the creative process that take place around it as well; we feel the bliss of finding creative solutions, yet these moments are always followed by a time where clarity seems to allude us persistently.

All posted photos of this project are credited to Joe Iano. You can visit more of his work at www.ianophotography.com. I encourage you to do so.