Less Than Three

"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 take 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.

General info

Spanish name:

Menos que Tres

Year of creation:

2008

Keywords:

indoor, interactive, lights, outdoor, sound, recorder.

EL wire

Technique:

2 intercoms, EL wiring, custom-made digital dimmers, computer, loudspeakers, microphones

Dimensions:

122 x 244 x 28 centimeters (48 x 96 x 11 inches)

Edition:

6 copies + 1 AP copy

LED tubes

Technique:

2 intercoms, LED ropes, custom-made digital dimmers, computer, loudspeakers, microphones

Dimensions:

variable anywhere between 30 and 3,000 square metres of wall space or façade

Edition:

3 copies + 1 AP copy

Exhibitions

Laboratori d'Interacció. Els sentits de les màquines (I/O/I), Disseny Hub IDAT, Barcelona, Spain, 2011 - 2012.
Art Basel Miami Beach, Galería OMR, Miami, Florida, United States, 2010 (electroluminescent wire version).
Transition States, Haunch of Venison, New York City, New York, United States, 2009 (electroluminescent wire version).
Recent works, Galerie Guy Bärtschi, Genève, Switzerland, 2009 (electroluminescent wire version).
Inpoliticos, Palazzo Art Napoli, Naples, Italy, 2009 (electroluminescent wire version).
Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Haunch of Venison, London, United Kingdom, 2008 (LED strips & EL wire versions).
Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, bitforms gallery, New York City, New York, United States, 2008 (electroluminescent wire version).

Credits

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

Bibliography

"Rafael Lozano-Hemmer PG", Prepared Guitar, Madrid, Spain, January 13th 2015 (english). Text of 43 pages. (Website)
Fagone, Chiara, "Rafael Lozano-Hemmer: progettare l'imprevedibile designing the unexpected", D-Lux, No. 5, Milan, Italy, April 2009 (english and italiano). Text of 9 pages. (Magazine)