Controlling RGB LEDs with Arduino

Being able to control basic colour LEDs was the first phase of development. Controlling RGB LEDs require a little more programming and understanding of how LEDs operate.

I aim to construct my final installation from thousands of interactive LEDs that reflect each observers movement through the the lights brightness, colour, flicker. Therefore, understanding the basic knowledge of RGB LEDs is fundamental to the development of my project.

Fading RGB LED

Choosing colour with processing

By incorporating processing, I was able to control the colour of the LED through clicking a paint pallet on screen.

Powering LEDs with Arduino

For the final result of my project, I intent to produce a light installation that is built up from a number of RGB LEDs. In order to fully understand how LEDs are controlled through programming, I decided to start with the basics.

I begun using the Arduino to control basic colour LEDs and create a simple traffic light sequence.

Incorporating processing with Arduino, I was able control multiple LEDs through placing the mouse in a certain area of the screen.

I have started off with the basics, being able to control a colour LED with Arduino and Processing. The next step for me is to understand how RGB LEDs are controlled with the same software.

Artist Inspiration

Rafael Lozano-Hemmer is another artist that has inspired my project. The pictures above show two different installations created by Lozano-Hemmer. He uses light as a way of revealing inner aspects of the human. The first photograph shows his Pulse Room installation. In order to create the installation, he took the pulse of each participant and transformed the beat into a visionary light installation. As each participant takes a turn, the light from the previous participant gets pushed further away. Lozano-Hemmer’s Voice Tunnel also has a similar design. Lozano-Hemmer has used a tunnel in the centre of New York City to set up his light installation. The lights are placed throughout the tunnel, and each light is automatically controlled by the voice recording of a participant who speaks into a special intercom situated in the middle of the tunnel. When a person speaks into the intercom, their voice is recorded and reflected through a light bulb. As more people participate, older recordings get pushed away down the tunnel. This aspect of the installation shows that the memory of the installation is always being recycled. Lozano-Hemmer’s installations are both engaging to wider audiences, and also intimate to people who participate.

Artist Inspiration

James Turrell

James Turrell is artist associated with the light and space movement that began in California in the mid 1960’s (Guggenheim Foundation 2013). Turrell works with space and light in order to effect the medium of perception. He combines the two elements as a way to orient toward what perception really is, rather than focusing on the object of perception, he uses his installations to alternatively remove it. Turrell’s exhibitions are intense, fully immersive, sensory experiences. The exhibitions situate an audience in a space that is filled with a variety of intense colours, and appears to have no edges or corners. This clever composition illustrates how the amalgamation of space, light and colour has the ability to remove our perceptions.   Many of Turrell’s installations are powered by LED (Light Emitting Diode) lights, which is a more energy efficient way to work with lighting. There is now an aspiration for more energy efficient lighting technology, and the ubiquity of LED lighting inside buildings and around cities. When producing my installation I also aim to work LED lights as they are not only more energy efficient, they also come in a variety of vibrant colours, they are made from sturdy, solid material, and produce very little amounts of heat. Just like Turrell, I also hope to create a fully immersive experience using LED light sources.

Artist Inspiration

Dan Flavin

Brightly lit settings appear to be more inviting, and introducing artificial light as a substitute for when natural light is unavailable helps to keep public spaces illuminated in darkness. Along with this, presenting artificial lighting in a particular design can also create aesthetically pleasing visuals.

The pictures above show light installations produced by Dan Flavin. Flavin takes banal hardware such as fluorescent light tubes from their practical context and shapes them into minimalistic art pieces. The way Flavin uses light manages to transform exhibition spaces through the way in which the light responds to specific architectural settings. There are no symbolic or transcendent significance attached his work. Flavin thus focuses more on the phenomenological presence of his works rather than narrative implications. In a similar manner to Flavin’s creative style, I aim to take a banal environment and use the luminosity of light to transform the space into an attractive and appealing environment.

The Importance of Space Light and Sound

We see our surroundings in the day time, and the same surroundings in the night time, yet we often take for granted how implicit light is to shaping our experience. Slight variations of light can affect a person’s perception and feeling towards a particular surrounding. Spaces that accommodate more lighting appear more inviting therefore, people tend to feel safer during the day when there is sun light. In most public spaces light and sound accompany one another and contribute to creating a locational narrative. To place people in a park during the day time, sound cues may transmit noises of children playing. However, transition a later time and the park is likely to be silent with distant sounds of the wind blowing. The way in which an environment is at certain times populated shows that light and sound both have the ability to shape, reshape, and create our collective notions of the spaces around us.

The pictures show two very different settings however, it is clear to see that the lack of light during a certain time of day affects the inhabitants of even the most busiest locations. Boscombe is a more rural setting located by the sea, and does not happen to accommodate much artificial lighting. In comparison, Oxford Circus that is situated in the centre of London appears to be decorated with an array of glowing Christmas lights. Although both locations are naturally filled with darkness, the artificial lighting that has been set up among the streets of Central London have managed to transform what may have been a glum, dreary setting into a place that looks somewhat magical. This therefore shows the significance of light in certain locations.