Luminous Sidewalks - Phygital Installation & Urban Scenography (Mons en Lumières)
A large-scale interactive phygital installation designed for the Mons en Lumières festival. Deployed in the public space with zero ground cables, battery-powered wooden scale models featuring acrylic windows allow the public to trigger real building lighting across the street using simple flashlights and wireless DMX.
Context & Phygital UX
- Zero street cables (100% Autonomous): Powered by internal high-capacity batteries and Wireless DMX, allowing standalone placement in the middle of 150,000 festivalgoers without electrical drops or ground cable hazards.
- Magical invisible tech: Crafting a pure, organic user experience where the public sees only crafted wood and light, concealing 100% of internal wiring and sensors.
- Mirror interaction (Model / Street): Establishing a real-time physical link between illuminating a miniature scale model and transforming real architectural facades.
- Durability & Safety: Building weatherproof, shock-resistant interactive stands tailored to high-density crowd conditions.
Engineering & Methodology
- Battery Power & Wireless DMX (WDMX): Embedded long-life rechargeable battery packs combined with wireless DMX transmitters for total placement flexibility on site.
- RealityCapture Photogrammetry: On-site photographic scanning processed in RealityCapture to produce ultra-accurate 2D orthophotoplans of historical facades.
- Graphic Design & Direct Wood Printing: Stylizing architectural scans and printing graphics directly onto CNC wooden panels in high definition.
- 3-Layer CNC Assembly: Precision CNC milling creating a 3-layer wooden "sandwich". The middle layer houses internal routing channels for hidden wiring and photoresistors behind acrylic cutouts.
Technical Breakdown
1. 100% Standalone Models (Battery & Wireless DMX)
Challenge: Position interaction stands directly on public sidewalks without running power or data cables through a crowd of 150,000 visitors.
Solution: Custom battery-powered standalone stands using long-range Wireless DMX (WDMX) to transmit triggers instantly whenever a flashlight hits an acrylic window.
2. RealityCapture Photogrammetry & Orthophotoplans
Challenge: Acquire hyper-precise architectural measurements to align graphic artwork and CNC cuts with real building proportions.
Solution: Complete street photogrammetry scan using RealityCapture. Generated 2D orthophotoplans served as the template for graphic artwork and direct wood printing.
3. 3-Layer CNC Sandwich & Invisible Tech
Challenge: Deliver a seamless "magical" experience by completely hiding sensors, power packs, and wiring underneath traditional wooden craftsmanship.
Solution: Engineered a 3-layer CNC-milled wooden structure. The core layer hides battery compartments, wire routing, and light sensors (photoresistors) positioned behind laser-cut acrylic windows.
Field Challenge: Outdoor Installation in the Dead of Winter
Context: The Mons en Lumières festival calendar required an outdoor build in the middle of winter, with no option to push back the public opening date.
Solution: Assembly, wiring, and calibration carried out on site in snow and cold, adapting installation protocols to protect sensitive electronics.
