Air conditioning manufacturer Daikin in collaboration with Japanese design studio nendo has created an installation titled breeze of light that features 17,000 flowers made from polarizing film.
Presented at Milan Design Week 2019, the installation is designed to evoke a visual perception of a breeze flowing through the flowers.
To achieve this, the flowers are placed accordingly in a calculated pattern and at varying heights to create a smooth and undulating landscape. 115 individually-controlled spotlights layered with polarizing filters are then utilized to change the intensities of the flower’s shadow. According to nendo, pivoting the polarizing filters 45 degrees makes the flower’s shadow translucent and an additional 45 degrees makes the shadows transparent.
By continually moving the polarized spotlights, the intensities of the flower’s shadow are altered in a way that an effect of a “gentle breeze passing through the garden” is created.
“breeze of light is an installation where you feel wind by the variance in shadow intensity,” said nendo founder Oki Sato. “Because Daikin is a manufacturer specializing in air conditioning, the company is always thinking about air and creates air that is suitable for various places.”
“We wanted to create a space where you could strongly feel the existence of air that you are usually unaware of,” added Oki.
“Air, which forms the basis of Daikin’s business domain, is essential to human’s lives,” said Daikin. “However, as it being invisible in its natural state, air is an element that people often take for granted. This exhibit visualizes air and enriches visitors’ hearts with its new way of experiencing air.”
