The modern world needs modern art and modern art needs a modern expression. We need to create not only sustainable art but also art that doesn’t look trashy. Nothing symbolizes our modern city life better than flashing neon signs. However, keeping in mind the electricity expenses, these neon signs aren’t what we might like to call eco-friendly. So, we are bound to look for other alternatives. Although there’s a list of eco-friendly lighting options available in the market because of its efficiency and longevity LED lighting stands head and shoulders above the rest. Therefore, at least when it comes to flashy signboards, LED art might replace neon lights in the near future.
Read More: 7 – Eco-friendly LED installations
15 Brilliant examples of LED art
LED art is a form of light art created by using numerous LEDs. Many artists and sculptors use LEDs to create stunning designs of the display. The incorporation of LEDs in light art is due to the low cost of LEDs, long life and low power consumption that ensures that despite using many of them, very little electricity is used. Here are 10 brilliant examples of LED art:
1. World’s First Wearable LED TV by David Forbes
A super cool invention by David Forbes known as the video coat scores points for its creative outlook. Built on flex boards, the coat operates through circuit switches located on the wearer’s shoulders and hips. You just need to plug it into an iPod player and it will start displaying the video with a resolution of 160 x 120.
2. The Man With No Shadow
All fans of sci-fi movies would want to know about it. “The Man With No Shadow” is an eye-catching life-sized light sculpture comprising of LEDs. Creator Markoto Tojiki has created many such light projects that have earned recognition.
3. Multiverse: LED Art Exhibit
A 200-foot long light-art exhibit created by Leo Villareal, an optical artist based in New York, uses 41,000 LEDs in all. The LEDs are programmed to form abstract configurations of light. The program created to bring about changing patterns of light in the display is separately accessed and manipulated. If you stand in the walkway and look at the multiverse, the trailing lights are certainly going to create a hypnotizing effect.
4. Mechanical LED sculpture
This LED water drop sculpture is a magnificent work of a large team of engineers. It was created for Roca’s Stand at the 100% Design Exhibition held in 2008 at Earl’s court. The structure consists of individually wired LEDs at the ends of their rods. Many such rods of varying heights are erected on a common platform following a structural pattern. If the entire structure is observed from atop once the LEDs are lit up, it looks like a water drop causing a ripple.
5. Italian LED Light Sculpture Artwork
The Italian Light Sculpture Festival presents a classic showcase of light art sculptures using LEDs ranging from the Light tunnel to Cathedral decorations. The light canal also enables people to change the intensity of light falling on water and its color as per their choice.
6. Tunnel Vision Inspired By Tesla
Another great innovation that employs LED light art is the Tunnel Vision which is interactive in the sense that it responds to any disturbance in it’s electromagnetic field. Whenever one interferes with its field, it responds by generating audio and visual effects.
7. LED Art Fan
A very interesting software enabled LED light art project uses 42 LEDs fitted on its blades to form images as the fan spins. The images can be selected as per your choice with the help of the software embedded. It displays any picture information including animated graphics, business logos and animated text.
8. LED Light installation by Erwin Redl
The LED light work of Erwin Redl is nationally and internationally recognized for its spectacular three-dimensional display. With rows of LEDs connected on vertical and horizontal frames, that form a room-like structure, the light display bamboozles an ordinary man, creating imaginary dimensions.
9. Light Painting With Roomba
LED Paintings using roombas are a new trend. Roombas are autonomous robotic vacuum cleaners to which you can attach multi-colored LEDs and then let them roam in a dark room. You can then capture trails of colorful LEDs that leave behind amazing patterns, some haphazard and others sequential. Each of the LED lights draw their own beams that spread across the room mingling with other beams and forming ever so arresting patterns.
10. Multi-Color Animated LED Art Cube
This animated multi-colored LED art cube is not just a decorative piece but it will also help you calm down after a stressful day. Simply gazing at the tiny multi-colored LEDs that blink and glow in different patterns will get you engrossed and calm your mind.
11. LED Sheep
This is a form of live art! At first, the cool animated formation of a giant sheep made up of sheep and herding dogs completely blows your mind. And then, the sheep come back wearing lighted coats. And soon you see beautiful formations of a digitalized pong game, a fountain, etc. But the Leonardo da Vinci’s digitalized Mona Lisa made by the pictures of LED-colored sheep formations is just sheer genius!
12. Organic Electric’s illuminated art
Organic Electric’s work is simple, yet beautiful. White LEDs are soldered together to form a pliable illuminated wire mesh. This mesh in turn is transformed into beautiful shapes like baskets and vases. Carefully arranged electrical layouts enable the mesh to conduct electricity to power the LEDs. The designs are closely inspired by nature and the rarity is that an electronic medium like LED parallels nature in its efficient design.
13. Nabana no Sato park
The winter light show usually at the Nabana no Sato park in Kuwana, Mie Prefecture is sure to leave you enthralled! A beautiful arrangement of 4.5 billion LEDs offer out-of-this-world spectacles like flower fields, gates and tunnels. The water illumination is perhaps the best, with constantly changing colors making the village pond look like a riverâs flow. The dazzling kaleidoscope of 64 billion colors promises to more than brighten up your day.
14. LED universe
Leo Villareal is the creator of this software-controlled mind-boggling display of 41000 LEDs. The patterns formed are actually vague abstract configurations of light which have such elements of randomness that there is negligible chance that you see a particular pattern ever again! The rate at which the light travels down the tunnel can actually create illusion of slowing downtime, or even time running ahead of you. Whatever the case maybe, the experience is sure to leave you hypnotized!
15. LED street art
Usually, street art is a reason for annoyance for the police, but this 2007 LED street art became a cause of alarm for them! This electronic street sign designed for advertisement was misinterpreted by the Boston police as an explosive mechanism. The pattern of LEDs showed a character of the animation series Aqua Teen Hunger Force called Ignignokt.