The boundaries between technology and art are getting fuzzier. In an ongoing research project, artist Jim Campbell literally makes fuzzier images too. His work is fascinating for its exploration of light, material and space.

If this sounds vague, some concrete examples may help. Campbell’s works make frequent use of LED lights. From a distance, the LEDs become pixels, and this helps the artist to create lighting installations with pinpoint precision.

Playing with the distance between the lights and the backing (often a dark, monochrome wall), Campbell creates light illusions and wavy patterns. He also constructs the whole of each installation himself from scratch.

Diffusion is another core theme. Perhaps as a counter-movement to the ever increasing sharpness in visual design (think of smart-phone screens and laser-cut materials), his works often take the other route. His blurred works are as interesting as his pixel-point installations.

In one, squares of multi-coloured LEDs are suspended behind frosted Plexiglas. Though it is translucent, the polymer scatters direct light, which brings the image into a soft focus.

Diffused and direct light are pointers towards the artist’s ongoing research. Turning technological progress around, he asked himself the question how few pixels can produce a recognizable image.

Building small LED boards and reshaping them until almost none of his LED pixels were left, he arrived at his answer. A matrix of 12×8 pixels provides just enough resolution for recognizable, moving images.

This shows the value of experimenting with materials – and, in this case, light. Unexpected answers to curious questions provide clues as to how we experience and understand the built environment through its space, light, and materiality.

For a mind-blowing experience, watch the video of his ‘Shadow for Heisenberg’. A lamp-lit Plexiglass box holds a miniature statue of the Buddha which is clearly visible from several meters away. As you move closer, however, the statue becomes obscured as the light is scattered. It’s very impressive stuff.

 

Images via the artist’s website.