True/False Kinetic Light Sculpture Is a Mechanical Marvel

The true/false light sculpture by Berlin-based onformative studio is a mesmerizing art installation that changes shape with a satisfying click, click, click. What’s going on is difficult to put your finger on initially, but appears strange and incredibly smooth in the video seen below.

The display consists of 24 fluorescent light tubes which are each covered by 25 stacked cylinders with an open and dark side. The sections rotate freely about the tube, and interlock with each other in such a way that when rotated more than 180 degrees clockwise they stack up in an alternating pattern. When rotated counterclockwise, they line up in a homogeneous dark or light stack. This means that while many shapes and patterns can be displayed, careful algorithmic planning has to be used for proper control.

true/false uses 24 stepper motors to actuate the cylinders back and forth, allowing for precise positioning of the pixels, as well as animation enhanced by the white and black squares rolling off of the display. Direct control of pixel changes is implemented via four Teensy 3.1 boards, and the patterns to be shown are loaded via a Raspberry Pi. It’s a beautiful build, reminiscent of the way a Turing machines — or even mechanical calculators — click through calculations with a strange mechanical rhythm.

[h/t: Creative Applications]