Tidal Vile
Tidal Veil is an interactive installation that visualizes the quiet pull between the moon and the sea. At its center, a glowing moon—lightly suspended above a curving, wave-like surface—appears still yet responsive. As viewers approach or reach toward it, gentle waves ripple outward across a shimmering veil of fabric, accompanied by pulses of light that echo the moon’s subtle energy.
This movement is triggered by the viewer’s gesture, transforming presence into a tidal choreography of motion and illumination. The installation invites a moment of contemplation, where celestial rhythm meets embodied experience. Through light, motion, and proximity, Tidal Veil reflects our entanglement with natural forces—unseen, continuous, and quietly reciprocal.
Year of Creation
Type
2024
Interactive Installation
Materials
ESP32 microcontroller, 12V linear actuators, L298N motor controller, MPU6050 accelerometer, TPU, foam board, optic fiber fabric, holographic film, WS2812 LED strip
In Bright Space
In Dark Space
3D Printing Moon
Actuator Test
Material Choices as Meaning
At the heart of the installation is a 3D-printed moon, modeled in soft TPU to diffuse internal lighting with a muted, organic glow. Suspended delicately above a curved base, it hovers like a celestial presence, both remote and responsive. The ocean beneath it is constructed using optic fiber fabric—a light-reactive material that shimmers under embedded LEDs and folds naturally with motion.
To evoke the tide, the base conceals a set of linear actuators that raise and lower points of the fabric, shaping subtle waves. The layered surface includes holographic film and foam contours to reflect light and suggest depth, creating a fluid tension between constructed surface and environmental illusion.
Crafting the Moon and the Sea
Each material in Tidal Veil was chosen not just for function, but for metaphor. The moon’s TPU body holds a soft resilience, catching light like skin. The sea is made from optic fiber fabric—both fragile and luminous—mimicking the texture of liquid without needing water. The use of a gyroscope instead of a distance sensor privileges movement over position, echoing how tides respond to force rather than fixed proximity.
Together, these materials compose more than a system—they construct a living metaphor. Light becomes water. Gesture becomes gravity. And presence, finally, becomes participation.
Creation & Installation Process
Leveraging Presence to Move Water
Interaction begins not with a button or switch, but with nearness. Inside the moon, a three-axis gyroscope senses changes in position and vibration—capturing the moment when a viewer leans in or reaches out. This quiet signal is translated into motion: waves rise, light pulses, the sea responds.
Rather than dramatizing cause and effect, the system embraces nuance. A viewer's gesture is not met with spectacle, but with subtle transformation. Through this delicate feedback, the installation recreates a gravitational echo—an artificial tide generated not by nature, but by attention.
In the Dark, a Tidal Presence
Tidal Veil was installed in a fully darkened space, allowing the light and motion of the piece to become the sole visual cues. The ambient sound of ocean waves played softly throughout the room, enveloping the viewer in a subtle, rhythmic soundscape that mirrored the undulating fabric.
As the moon slowly pulsed with internal light, shadows shifted across the floor and walls—creating the illusion of a shifting gravitational pull. The entire space became part of the installation, transforming the viewer’s orientation and offering a fleeting sense of being suspended between celestial and terrestrial forces.