Public spaces are undergoing transformations as we navigate new rules and guidelines for social interaction. Lighting design reinvigorates places and brings them to life. Murals or large building surfaces can be transformed into glowing dreamlike creations when they would otherwise be obscured in shadow. Architectural lighting revitalizes our neighborhoods to support vibrant urban life, creates a sense of security and safety, and attracts new economic activity.
Groups like the Project for Public Spaces have valuable information on the best ways to move forward with engaging community spaces in this time of transition. In our recent Experiential Design Playbook: Solutions for Engagement During COVID-19 & Beyond, Alt Ethos outlines a number of inspirational designs for public spaces that bring joy and engagement to our communities in creative and safe ways. Via projection mapping, LED wash lighting, and no-touch interactive displays – an entire public square can be activated. Whether we are gathering six feet apart in a public square, or passing through our usual main street now filled with outdoor public seating options — an experience can be illuminated with creative lighting design in simple and impactful ways.
When people are venturing out with their families this summer, they will be on the hunt for engaging experiences, community events, and comfortable interactions that will give a much-needed lift to their spirits. Seeing their favorite public places brought to life with light would be a great way to do just that. Through public installations and interactive experiences, such as the Illuminous interactive projection-mapped mural in Fort Collins, CO, our communities can be welcomed back to shopping and spending time in public spaces with fresh, inspired eyes.
We encourage downtown development authorities and businesses to convert public spaces into interactive art using projectors, lighting effects, and sensors. These placemaking initiatives not only offer free public access to an immersive, child- and pet-friendly experience, but are proven to stimulate greater economic activity.
Alt Ethos, in partnership with Reactiv.io, recently illuminated Denver’s iconic brick mansion by the Downtown Aquarium and I-25. Together, Alt Ethos and Reactiv are creating experiential designs in Denver to inspire connection. Future immersive collaboration includes the Tennyson Street / Berkeley area – one of Denver’s most historic neighborhoods with private immersive themed bungalow experiences.
Architectural lighting in conjunction with an urban revitalization plan acts as a vehicle that reconnects people with a sense of place to emphasize the true strengths of a community. In 1989, the city of Lyon, France, introduced one of the earliest holistic lighting master plans to revitalize the dense historic core of the city. The origins of the festival date to 1643 when Lyon was struck by the plague. Today, Lyon is known as the “capital of light,” hosting the largest festival dedicated solely to illumination, the Fête des lumières, in part commemorating the day Lyon was consecrated to the Virgin Mary. The 2019 festival attracted 1.8 million visitors over 4 days.
Urban design has taken on a new level of importance to keep the residents of urban areas feeling safe. Alt Ethos works in collaboration with city planners and corporations to commit to the health and vitality of its community. Contact us to set up a complimentary consultation on how your downtown shopping area, municipal buildings, or public park can be activated with light.
Please join us on First Friday, November 2nd for our next open house! We are so excited to show you what we have been working on and celebrate fall with food, drinks, and community. Come see what we have in store for this event and also check out what our creative neighbors have on display.
Throughout the evening, we will be showcasing some of our latest and in-development works, as well as Virtual Reality Painting and Buzz Wire Game! You can also view the work of over 50 other artists and creative businesses. Meet the creators, learn about their behind the scenes processes and see their creative spaces in person.
There is no admission fee and plenty of accessible parking so that you can easily enjoy the best of the Denver creative community all under one roof. Music, libations (hot cocoa, anyone?), and interactive art – what could be better?
The open house will be held on Friday, November 2nd, 2018 from 5:30pm to 9:30pm at Prism Workspaces 999 Vallejo Street, Denver Colorado. Alt Ethos is located through entrance 2 at space #30. Don’t miss it!
Alt Ethos has some new offerings coming this holiday season that will help take your event to the next level. Whether you are hosting a private holiday event, winter festival, or public art activation, we want to help you celebrate by offering 10% off your next event rental. You will not want to miss booking our newest event rental: LytenUp. Also, be sure to check out our activations in October at the Far Out Factory and Denver Performing Arts Center to get inspiration for your own event.
Book Alt Ethos’ Newest Event Rental
LytenUp transforms your movements into vivid light projections and then captures the most energetic moments as GIF / Boomerang-style video loops that you can share. Choose several designs from the touchscreen menu and provide customized text for your event.
It’s INTERACTIVE
Jump, dance, wave, or just stand there and smile … LytenUp reacts to your movements and transforms your energy into vibrant beams of light. Create your own GIF/Boomerang-Style Video Booth!
Join Us at Denver Performing Arts Complex
Throughout the fall and winter, Alt Ethos is bringing an interactive lighting installation to the Denver Performing Arts Complex. We are transforming an unassuming and overlooked patch of wall in DPAC’s Galleria space with an installation that fuses interactive light and technology with a beautifully designed modular wall construction. The result is an installation that reacts to its surrounding environment and responds to the movements of passersby along with the shifting patterns of wind that flow through the Galleria. These “inputs” drive vibrant, evolving LED light animations behind a layer of intricately patterned transparent glass. The installation will be active from until February 2019.
Alt Ethos is brings an environment of wonder with our LED interactive Cloud Chandeliers, projection mapped Balloon Hive, and 2 Digital Mirrors. Far Out Factory, presented by Openvape, is like no other festival you’ve experienced before. We’re taking over an old factory building to create a truly radical experience inspired by Colorado cannabis. Wander from bay to bay on the factory floor and discover interactive exhibitions sponsored by Meow Wolf, tasty munchies from food trucks, and local craft beverages alongside live tunes and local art performances.
Seattle, October 16 – 19th, Augmented Reality Trade Show Activation
Our Producer, Paul Elsberg, will be in Seattle working with one of our clients applying our custom designed Augmented Reality Trade Show activation. We had great success with them in Texas and now we are hitting the road. Want to make a meeting with Paul? He can be reached at 303-800-4243 x702. Learn more at our blog: “How Augmented Reality Drastically Increases Trade Show Engagement”.
Coming Up
Mark your calendar – Our next open house is November 2nd!
Come check out our fun interactive offerings, meet the team, and enjoy the work of over 60 artists at Prism Workspaces. We will have food, drink and music. Event details: 5:30pm to 9:30pm at Prism Workplaces 999 Vallejo Street, Denver Colorado. Alt Ethos is located through entrance 2 at space #30.
We would love to help with your event. Please email or give me a call at 303-800-4243 x700.
For decades, murals have been an essential form of creative placemaking in urban spaces that are designed to brighten local communities through art. Alt Ethos is transforming the impact and nature of murals through augmenting them with projection mapping and real-time motion graphics. This synthesis of old and new combines visual artistry with state of the art technology to explore a new creative medium designed for public engagement.
Projection mapping casts pixels on a surface in a way that is similar to how a painter casts paint onto a blank canvas. Both techniques create beauty and evoke emotions, but the former offers its viewers the opportunity to imagine themselves within the canvas and experience visual content that is dynamic.
How Projection Mapping Works
If you’ve ever been to a movie theatre or watched a powerpoint presentation, you probably understand basic projection. On that most basic level, light is displayed onto a flat surface to produce an image or video. In projection mapping, the same concept is applied to 3D objects, creating visual content with an emphasis on 3D form.
Projection mapping offers the ability to turn a mural into a dynamic piece of video art during the night time hours. The murals can be as simplistic or intricate as desired and the visuals can be tied to a variety of interactions that connect the audience and surrounding environment with the placemaking activation.
This transformative creative technology opens immense possibilities to engage audiences and embrace the creative placemaking that has propelled many murals into the urban landscape. Now both a daytime and nighttime engagement are a reality.
At night, the piece transforms based on the motion of viewers as they pass – encouraging audiences to impact their visual experience through motion and the passage of time. This creates a “community first” dynamic, drawing audiences of all ages into an environment where they collaborate to transform a piece of architecture.
Alt Ethos Mural Project
This approach has been at the heart of Alt Ethos’ latest project, a nighttime interactive mural in collaboration with world renowned Italian artist Peeta. Peeta was the perfect partner for the first iteration of this new technology as his conic twisting forms, starting from a digital model, create a playground for visual content opportunities.
If you are interested in exploring the social and economic benefit of this new creative technology, please drop us a line at hello@altethos.com
Experiential design isn’t just a buzzword in marketing. Not only can it be effective for businesses trying to gain customers, there are many other creative uses for this artform. Experiential design is used in art shows, private events, and more recently, live music performances.
From Super Bowl concerts to experimental musicians, this practice is taking hold in the music industry for a variety of reasons. Live concerts aren’t just about the songs anymore. Concert-goers expect a full show, complete with visual entertainment and the opportunity to interact during the performance. While experiential design can be a major concert draw and build fans’ loyalty, it can be difficult to pull off for mobile designs. If you’re planning an experiential design for a concert or live performance, keep these three principles in mind:
Create elements that are on-brand and audience friendly
This should be somewhat obvious, but many designers focus on creating elements that “look cool,” yet are not on-theme with a brand’s message or persona. You must choose elements will add value to the live performance and will drive home the artist’s main message, persona, or theme of their tour. Album art or music videos can serve as great sources of inspiration.
Easy design and maintenance
Offering design elements that are easy to operate and maintain can solidify your relationship with an artist. If your equipment malfunctions or doesn’t operate as intended, no matter the reason, the artist will be disappointed and more likely to choose another partner for their next stage design. While you might have access to a tour technician, you still want to ensure the equipment is easy to use so that you can eliminate as much of the learning curve as possible.
Lightweight and durable
Custom fabricated lighting and set design pieces are some of the most difficult to create because they have to be mobile. You must choose your materials carefully to ensure they are easy enough for a roadie to transport, and durable enough so that if they are tossed around on the trailer, they won’t be permanently damaged. Using waterproof materials when possible is also a plus, making your equipment safe for outdoor concerts.
Recent projects
Just recently, AltEthos built a stage design for experimental electronic musician CloZee who draws on musical inspirations such as Tipper and Amon Tobin. CloZee incorporates intricate light and projection displays into her theatrical performances. We offered her several nature-inspired units using LEDs to cast changing light onto the stage.
Alt Ethos created several free-standing tree trunk units with muslin finish and placed an LED bar to shine through a frosted crack in the surface. The units contain a simple, detachable backboard for maintenance, and come in custom carrying cases for safety. You can view the finished design on our Instagram page.
We hope these interactive, colorful trees serve CloZee well on her 2018 tour, as using these three mobile design principles supported our stage design philosophy. For more information on how AltEthos does stage and experiential design, click here.
Groups like the Project for Public Spaces have valuable information on the best ways to move forward with engaging community spaces in this time of transition. In our recent Experiential Design Playbook: Solutions for Engagement During COVID-19 & Beyond, Alt Ethos outlines a number of inspirational designs for public spaces that bring joy and engagement to our communities in creative and safe ways. Via projection mapping, LED wash lighting, and no-touch interactive displays – an entire public square can be activated. Whether we are gathering six feet apart in a public square, or passing through our usual main street now filled with outdoor public seating options — an experience can be illuminated with creative lighting design in simple and impactful ways.
When people are venturing out with their families this summer, they will be on the hunt for engaging experiences, community events, and comfortable interactions that will give a much-needed lift to their spirits. Seeing their favorite public places brought to life with light would be a great way to do just that. Through public installations and interactive experiences, such as the Illuminous interactive projection-mapped mural in Fort Collins, CO, our communities can be welcomed back to shopping and spending time in public spaces with fresh, inspired eyes.
