Large Scale Interactive LED Jellyfish Installation

For more information head over to: http://www.beyondthedeep.org

About

Beyond the Deep is a public interactive LED installation of a giant jellyfish with the animation LED sequences controllable by the internet and open to the public.

The work measures in at a whopping 2.5 storeys tall, with a 4m diameter and 7m tentacles.

The materials used make use of stockpiles of single use plastic bags from local businesses, which are now illegal for them to use in Australia, to raise a conversation regarding sustainability.

The Sustainability Message

The recent 'plastic bag ban' which saw legislation introduced prohibiting the sale of single use plastic bags across various states in Australia has caused conflicting messaging and frustration by shoppers, and has generally been dealt with in a uninspired way.

Some of the striking imagery used to describe the problem with plastic bags resonated with our Digital Media students: "A single bag floating in the ocean can be easily mistaken as a jellyfish by various marine life". The general takeaway of the "ban" has been restriction, rather than inspiration for change.

The Digital Media students at Billy Blue College of Design in Brisbane created the large-scale, interactive installation 'Beyond the Deep'which focused on disruptive messaging, and creates a beautiful visual spectacle from dangerous and unwanted materials.

The repercussions on local businesses of the ban have been to dispose of the no longer necessary plastic bags, and the students have found a way to intercept their final destination and use these materials as the skin of the installation.

By connecting the bags with jellyfish conceptually, the lasting memory is their interchangeability and similarity. The installation is a launchpad for conversations to occur around the sustainability issues present in our cities.

Tech Specifications

Hardware:

• 2.5 storey tall structural build

• Approx. 45m electrical conduit

• Approx. 17 x 3 ways, 6 x custom built 4 ways, 3 x custom 6 ways

• Approx. 20m irrigation piping (secondary framework)

• Approx. 60m marine grade steel wiring

• Approx. 75m electrical cabling

• Custom built design in order to be disassembled and reassembled

Skin:

• Approx. 700+ salvaged & recycled plastic bags

• Approx. 30m salvaged & recycled marquee canvas

• Custom stitched skin as a single cover

• Custom built skirting and layered centre frills

• Approx. 40 hours build on skin

LEDs:

• Over 3500 individually addressable LEDs in use

• Approx. 120m of LED cabling

• Approx. 75m of support electrical cabling woven throughout

• Approx. 150 custom soldered components

• Unique soldering methods employed (dovetail, doublenecks)

• Powered from 2 x 60A 5V transformers

Hardware:

• All 3500+ LEDs connected to a single NodeMCU (49mm x 24.5mm x 13mm)

• WS281B LED data lines connected to NodeMCU (ESP8266)

• Custom C++ and Arduino code using FastLED library

• Custom animation sequences built using Palette Knife

• Custom synced animation to voice for exhibition night

Control System:

• Animation sequences are triggered from public website & touchscreen interface

• Custom built touchscreen application and web based control system

• Application built in HTML, CSS, jQuery using AJAX calls

• Custom built HUD interface using SVG, 3D & motion design

• Many thanks to initial port mapping system and methodology from Jason Coon's FastLED webserver