Overview

Akari is a collaborative artwork created with painter Nao Mamoru.

The project explores a new way of presenting the artist’s intricate mandala designs by illuminating them from behind with LED light.

Background

Nao Mamoru approached me to explore the possibility of developing a new artwork using their mandala designs. Based on this request, I developed the concept and produced an initial prototype.

Development Process

Idea

To express the delicate lines of the mandala in a different medium, I experimented with illuminating the artwork from behind so that the patterns would emerge through light.

I also incorporated full-color LEDs to add changing colors to the mandala and create a more dynamic visual experience.

Method

To allow light to pass through only the linework of the mandala, I first converted the original image into a binary black-and-white image. The lines were rendered in white, while the remaining areas were rendered in black.

The processed image was then printed onto transparent overhead projector sheets. Because the white areas were left unprinted, light could pass through the mandala’s linework.

Approximately ten identically printed sheets were layered together. This prevented LED light from passing through the areas outside the lines, allowing the illuminated patterns to appear more clearly.

Prototyping

The prototype frame was constructed from cardboard.

Inside the frame, walls separated the individual sections of the mandala. These partitions prevented the light from adjacent LEDs from blending together, allowing each pattern to be illuminated independently.

Key Learnings

• Experience collaborating with a professional artist

• Experience developing a simple proof-of-concept prototype

• Practical experience using transparent overhead projector sheets as an optical material