Located at Sakura Lake Sports Park in Weihai, China, the Love is a colossal light sculpture. Its stainless steel structure bends fluidly in the form of a ring to lend the sculpture an imposing character. Standing 42 meters tall, the flowing figure appears as if it has emerged out of the blue water that surrounds it. As the night falls, the beautiful light sculpture conjures up a magical scenery.
The inner groove of the sculpture consists of 12 light strips, each composed of 70 ChromaLuxTM LED Linear Lights by cBright. The light strips lay gracefully along the circular form of the sculpture, transforming it into a magnificent circle of colors that grabs the attention of the visitors at night.
Park users can interact with the sculpture by riding 12 bicycles that control the lighting pattern. This is achieved through the unique ChromaMasterTM interactive control system connected to the bicycles. The system responds to the sensors via control signal rate, and hence the lights change with variation in the speeds of the bicycle riders.
Here are three modes that allow 12 bicycles to interact with the light sculpture differently:
• Cooperative Mode
12 bicycles control the overall animation of the lights which dependents on the overall speed of the bikes. The faster the people ride the bicycles, the quicker the lighting circles move. At the highest speed, the lighting is in full colors which lasts for 10 seconds then returns to its starting state.
• Single Competitive Mode
Each bike controls one light band with a specific color. The faster the speed of the rider, the quicker its light band moves in circles. The first one to reach highest speed becomes the winner, and the lights of all the other bike change to the color of the winner’s bike.
• Group Competitive Mode
Similar to a tug-of-war, this mode provides for an interactive way for participants to compete in groups. The 12 bikes are divided into groups of two, consisting of 6 people each. Starting from the bottom, one group’s light moves clockwise while the others move counterclockwise. The faster the group’s total speed, the faster the light band moves up. As soon as the two sets of lights meet, the color of the winner group will take over the whole image.
The creative lighting design not only beautifies the night scene of a public space, but also encourage playful interaction among people. The Love Sculpture demonstrates how technology can enhance human experiences.
