Description
"Less than Three" is an interactive installation of light strips that form a network between two intercoms. As a participant speaks into an intercom, his or her voice is translated into corresponding flashes of light and this light pattern is transmitted visually along one of the several possible pathways through the network. When it reaches the other side, the viewer’s phrase is once again released as sound. Several voices can be carried simultaneously and the short contributions travel fast through the network and the longer ones taje longer. The piece stores up to 600,000 recordings and can optionally play them back at random after a period of inactivity.

There are two versions of the project: a large version that uses white light emitting diode (LED) strips that can be installed indoor or outdoor and a small version using red electro-luminiscent (EL) wires.

Year of creation
2008
Technique
2 intercoms, LED rope or EL wire, custom-made digital dimmers, computer, loudspeakers, microphones.

Dimensions
Large version, variable anywhere between 30 and 3,000 square metres of wall space or façade
Small version, 122 x 244 x 28 cm (48” x 96” x 11”)

Exhibitions
• "Inpoliticos" (curator: Laura Bardier), Palazzo Art Napoli, Naples 2009 (EL version)
• "Transition States", Haunch of Venison Gallery, NYC 2009 (EL version)
• "Lozano-Hemmer Recent Works", Galerie Guy Bartschi, Geneva 2009 (EL version)
• "Rafael Lozano-Hemmer", Haunch of Venison, London, UK, 2008 (LED version)
• bitforms gallery, New York City, NY, USA, 2008 (EL version)
• Art Basel Miami (Galería OMR), Miami Beach, USA, 2008 (EL version)

Photos
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Gideon May — Software and Hardware Design
Stephan Schulz, Pierre Fournier, Olfa Driss, David Lemieux — production support