"Delayed Sunset" is a light art installation in an urban plaza renovation project. The device was installed on the existing square seat, to provide lighting for the dim plaza.
Nowadays, many people get off work after sunset and cannot see the beautiful sky light. The original intention of this installation is to simulate the effect of sunset after nightfall, and to give sunset back to those busy people, as a ceremony representing the end of the day.
The installation records the change of the sky before sunset (14:00-18:00) through a sensor, and simulates the sky before sunset (17:00-21:00) in its illuminated area after sunset.
Although the current site lacks lighting, building light source with excessive brightness will not be acceptable, because it could interfere with residents' lives. The sky light 3 hours ago will always be brighter than it is now, so the light will gradually diminish as the sky darkens. The light intensity of the installation is controlled so that it does not appear to be dazzling.
In order to test and demonstrate the effect of the lighting installation, I made this interactive model. 8 addressable LED strips are embedded in the laser cutting model, and are controlled by Arduino development board with programs. By tuning a knob, the model can smoothly simulate the changes of the sunset sky from 14:00 to 18:00.
