Noon
Zhang Ding
Tianmuli Art Museum
In 2024, OLL ART has partnered with artist Zhang Ding to present the light-and-sound installation “Noon” at the Tianmuli Art Museum. The artwork takes the “urban rooftop” as its central image and, by leveraging SDL’s Intelligent Spectrum Technology, explores the narrative potential of light within the artistic realm. Taking the “urban rooftop” as his conceptual prototype, Zhang Ding has constructed a system called the “Urban Light Tower.” The installation features a centrally integrated “Sky Realm” luminaire with a diameter of up to 2 meters. Utilizing SDL smart-spectrum technology, it seamlessly simulates the full color-temperature range from 1800K (warm dawn light) to 5500K (midday cool white). Multiple sets of inductive luminaires interlock with precisely cut crystal refractive surfaces to form a 6-meter-tall light tower structure. This design not only replicates the natural light spectrum but also reconfigures the physical properties of light, creating a dynamic light-and-shadow environment with real-time interactive capabilities. To realize this artistic vision, the OLL ART team transcended conventional lighting-product manufacturing standards. From custom development of extra-large, non-standard luminaires to deep integration with multi-protocol control systems, they successfully achieved a highly challenging technological breakthrough. This collaboration is not merely a one-way enabler of artistic expression through technology; it also serves as a reciprocal source of inspiration, driving the advancement of lighting technology through artistic practice.
Within a three-minute light-cycle period, viewers can choose their own mode of engagement: they may quietly observe the “sun’s” full spectral evolution, or move through the space to trigger changes in the brightness and dimness of the surrounding lights. The soundscape is synchronized with the rhythm of light and shadow, creating an immersive and interactive sensory environment. Within a three-minute light-cycle period, if you stand quietly beside the device, you can observe the disc-shaped light source smoothly transitioning from a deep, warm orange to a cool white. Simultaneously, the length and sharpness of the shadows on the ground physically shift in tandem. As people move freely through the space, the sensing system captures their physical trajectories in real time and triggers a breathing light effect—faintly brightening and dimming—their surrounding lights. Light passes through the crystal’s refractive surfaces, scattering tiny patches of light across the walls and floor. These patterns of light and shadow respond dynamically, jumping or dissolving as people move. The soundscape is synchronized with the spectral rhythm, and low-frequency resonances enhance the bodily sense of immersion. This design enables viewers to perceive the digital re-creation of natural light patterns within the interior space through their innate physiological instincts, without the need for textual explanations. In a brief, accelerated immersive experience, participants can rediscover their sensitivity to light intensity and color temperature, and witness how time is literally woven into the fabric of light and shadow.