The Glow - 2023

Matthew Nazarian, Orus Mateo Castaño-Suárez, Vitor Fiacadori Costa, Zubin Isaac, Jessica Patel & Yu-Shien Yang

The Glow is an interactive audio-visual installation that explores the tension between permanence and transience in public spaces. Inspired by the Aurora Borealis, the piece transforms a stairwell into an environment that responds to movement and touch. Two projectors display a particle simulation created in TouchDesigner, which shifts in response to audio and vibrations from people walking up the stairs or touching the railing.

Above the viewers, a suspended tulle structure embedded with fiber optic cables emits shifting green light, translating the projection into a physical form. The installation uses ultrasonic distance sensors, a USB microphone, piezo contact microphones, and a neo-pixel LED strip to detect presence and movement.

Installed in a transitional space, The Glow encourages visitors to notice and interact with their surroundings in ways they might not otherwise experience.