Light Pebbles
Installation, 2022 — HOT•BED Gallery (WAITING ROOM), Troy Glow Exhibition, Center for Mediterranean Architecture (Un-Natural Mat(t)erials Exhibition)
Installation, 2022 — HOT•BED Gallery (WAITING ROOM), Troy Glow Exhibition, Center for Mediterranean Architecture (Un-Natural Mat(t)erials Exhibition)
Light Pebbles is a dynamic light installation by Yael Erel and Avner BenNatan, including the light pebble series - a series of light objects that project swirling light projections of seemingly three dimensional light structure. Within each pebble, a reflector revolves, casting light beams off of its specular surface and transcribing its geometry in light. The transforming light drawings draw the viewer into a meditative gaze. Different Reflector geometries generate different light patterns.
The pebble’s were developed with assistance from Renssealer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) reseach students Cooper Myer, Eileen Dong, Gunnar Thuss, and Owen Lawler and with support from RPI Fabrication Labs, with special thanks to Bill Bergman, Jim Van Duyne, and fabricator John Cade.
The installation was featured in WAITING ROOM: Immersive Art for Wellbeing at HOT•BED Gallery in Philadelphia. Curated by Lyn Godley and supported by The Jefferson Center of Immersive Arts for Health along with contributions from lightexture, Light Pebbles formed part of a research initiative exploring the relationship between light-based installations and individual wellbeing. The pebbles were also exhibited in the Troy Glow exhibition in New York, as well as in Un-Natural Mat(t)erials at the Center for Mediterranean Architecture in Crete.
Light Design:Yael Erel and Avner BenNatan
Layout Design: Yael Erel
Project Team:Yael Erel, Avner BenNatan
Photography:Yael Erel and Avner BenNatan
Technical Support: RPI Fabrication Labs
Funding:The Jefferson Center of Immersive Arts for Health and additional contributions from Lightexture
Curators:Lyn Godly
Research Students: RPI Architecture School: Cooper Myer, Eileen Dong, Gunnar Thuss, Owen Lawler
Special Thanks to Avner BenNatan, Cooper Myer, Eileen Dong, Gunnar Thuss, Owen Lawler, Bill Bergman, Jim Van Duyne, and John Cade
Materials:PLA, ABS, electrical components, motor, LED, stainless steel augmented reflector, lacquer finish
Dimensions:"Light Pebble: 8""x14""x21""
Light Pebble Twin: 9""x22""x25"""
Awards:N/A
Publications:"LS2023 Proceedings Journal: The Use of Immersive Light-Based Art for Well-Being by Lyn Godley, Roemary Frasso, Tom Igoe, Yael Erel, Julianna LeNoir
Environments - Space With(Out) Light"
Publications include LS2023 Proceedings Journal: The Use of Immersive Light-Based Art for Well-Being and Environments – Space With(Out) Light.
Dimensions:
Light Pebble: 8″ × 14″ × 21″
Light Pebble Twin: 9″ × 22″ × 25″
Photography and videography by Yael Erel and Avner BenNatan.
featured in
The following description is paraphrased from the HOT•BED Gallery webpage which can be found here.
Waiting Room was a six-person show, featuring works by Aidan Fowler, Alyson Denny, Lyn Godley, Jessica Judith Beckwith, Philip Hart, Yael Erel along with the winners of the 2022 Immersive Arts for Health Global Student Design Competition.
Work by these six artists who use light, shadow, and movement to create experiences that will mesmerize, enchant, and captivate. Also included was the work of the winning entries of the 2022 Immersive Arts for Health Student Design Competition organized by the Jefferson Center of Immersive Arts for Health, a design, research, and academic initiative dedicated to studying the impact of dynamic and interactive art + design on healing.
Each art installation was set up as a “waiting room” for the audience to spend time becoming immersed in the experience, with the intention of calming, inspiring, or transforming.
As part of ongoing research viewers were able to take part in a survey to collect feedback on their individual experiences of the various installations.
The following description is taken from the Arts Center of the Capital Region webpage which can be found here.
Troy Glow was a dazzling, temporary public art light festival in downtown Troy that ran nightly for five weeks, from December 4th, 2022 through January 9th, 2023.
Troy Glow features 6 beautiful outdoor installations of light-based art created by regional artists. In addition, 8 partner organizations created unique light displays, for a total of 14 Troy Glow sites in a walkable route through historic downtown Troy.
Troy Glow was created to give downtown Troy a “glow up” during the holiday season, which is also the time of year when there is the least amount of daylight. Visitors, shoppers, and diners were able to enjoy all the city of Troy has to offer while experiencing a unique, contemporary art light festival.