Mirror, Mirror

Visitors to a recent festival of light art in Sydney, Australia, experienced a giant interactive sculpture. Japanese artist Masakazu Shirane (mah-sah-kah-zoo shee-rah-nee) and New Zealand artist Reuben (roo-bihn) Young created the installation, called Light Origami. Like origami (traditionally made of folded paper), the enormous structure is made  up of geometric forms. There are more than 320 aluminum panels. Zippers connect the panels to one another.

Lights illuminate the interior, transforming it into a giant kaleidoscope. The panels reflect viewers’ movements like mirrors, incorporating the colors and patterns of their clothing into the display. The viewer is an essential part of this innovative artwork.

Shirane and Young used 3-D computer modeling tools to design the sculpture. Then they worked with a team of building and lighting engineers and designers to construct the artwork.