01 / Experience
Eight minutes across twenty-six ropes.
O.T. 1191 is a large steel construction based on the letter A. Twenty-six mooring ropes stretch across one side and function as projection surfaces for an eight-minute choreography of monochrome and colour animation.
First presented at Light Night Leeds in 2023, the work uses Stefan Reiss’s third colour alphabet as the basis for its colour concept. An open, linear structure becomes the carrier of changing projected images.
- Artwork title
- O.T. 1191
- Year
- 2023
- Location
- Light Night Leeds, UK
- My contribution
- Technical lead, prototyping, generative animation system, Production coordination, installation, mechanical design
- Artistic authorship
- Stefan Reiss
- Commissioner
- FORM
- Context
- Commission / artist collaboration
The projection choreography on the suspended ropes. Photograph: Stefan Reiss.
02 / My contribution
Bringing structure, animation and installation together.
I worked as technical lead across mechanical design, prototyping, the generative animation system, production coordination and installation. Mechanical development took much of the project time because it formed the basis for communication with manufacturers and contractors.
Leeds was the first instance of an assembly designed to be straightforward to transport and build on site. It served as a proof of concept for the later Amsterdam Light Festival design and construction planning.
Prototype
Develop and test the installation’s technical components.
Animate
Work on the generative animation system.
Install
Coordinate production and the on-site assembly.
03 / Construction
A modular frame with a clear geometry.
The A-shaped steel frame establishes the installation’s profile and supports its rope surface. Developing it as a modular assembly required considering its connections, handling, structural engineering and final geometry.
The first on-site build tested that approach in practice: separate components had to become a large, coherent structure at the festival site. The assembly experience supplied a basis for the subsequent transport and construction planning of other works.
Detail of a steel connection during assembly.
The frame and rope surface installation before the evening presentation.
04 / On site
From delivery to the night-time image.
Transport and handling were a challenge of this specific installation. The frame assembly had to be moved from Leeds to Manchester by vehicle to quickly take its place within the site’s buildings and circulation routes.
Once installed, the steel and ropes provide a fixed arrangement for a composition that changes over time. The project film shows how the same physical elements support different visual states.
Delivery of a frame assembly.
The installed structure in its urban surroundings.
The frame within its architectural surroundings. Photograph: Stefan Reiss.
05 / Before & at the festival
Festival view: opening night of Light Night Leeds. Photograph: Stefan Reiss
Audience at the festival opening. Photograph: Stefan Reiss
Concept Rendering
Concept render for scale comparison