An Interactive Light Installation for Contemplative Play #
flow is an immersive augmented reality installation that invites participants to enter a playful slice of projected light. A depth camera captures each participant’s shape and movement, allowing them to interact with flowing grains of virtual sand.
Thousands of particles move in a circular flow inspired by the ensō, a Japanese Zen symbol associated with mindfulness and presence. Traditionally drawn in a single, continuous brushstroke, the ensō captures a gesture in its entirety, preserving its imperfections as part of the final form. It thus evokes core Buddhist concepts such as non-attachment and impermanence. In the installation, the audience can alter the flow, yet the particles gradually return to their underlying circular movement.
The installation was conceived with no concrete goal and no correct way to engage. Instead, it offers an open-ended environment for contemplation and play, encouraging participants to reconnect with their bodies and the present moment, and to experience awareness through movement and visual feedback, rather than intention.
flow was developed alongside Augmented Acrobatics, adapting the same camera–projector alignment system for audience-driven interaction.