Humans have long been fascinated with the natural phenomenon that is refracted light—from the first scientists working with optics, to school children being taught the colors of the rainbow with a glass prism—it’s a seemingly magical effect that has been manipulated by artists and scientists for ages. Now the prism gets a digital makeover with the project Prisma 1666, developed by two Shanghai-based multimedia and interactive design firms Super Nature and Wonwei for the Shanghai International Science and Art Exhibition 2011.The project consists of 15 prisms, two projectors and a touch screen for user interaction. The viewer uses the touch tablet to control the color, angle, and shapes projected on each prism, exploring the full range of a prism’s refraction properties and triggering beautiful and unexpected reflections. If only we had this installation to play around with in our grade school science class, perhaps we would’ve stayed awake.Take a look at the stunning visuals produced in the slideshow above.
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