Team Ignite
IGNITE is a talented study team from the Technical University Eindhoven. It was originally founded by enthusiastic members of the student societies Cheops (Built Environment) and Lucid (Industrial Design) who wanted to make an installation for GLOW together. The team still consists of several students who combine light, art and technology. They are currently working on a large number of design projects and collaborating with various stakeholders, Examples include a collaboration with the Brainport Industry Campus, the municipality of Eindhoven, the Efteling, Paaspop, Vogelfrei, Tesla Divas, SSRE and Fontys Hogescholen.
UNPLUGGED
This installation was made specially for GLOW. It is a floating light bulb in the air with extraordinary proportions. With a giant plug and cable. The power comes from the visitors to GLOW. They can operate the pins of the plug and thus become the energy source for the light bulb themselves. The filament that lights up is not what you would expect. The wires have been replaced by the three ‘vibes’ that characterize the city logo of Eindhoven.
The piece needs interaction and people to bring it to life. Just like the city itself and the light festival GLOW that need people to sparkle. That’s why we encourage you to join in and take part by interacting with the installation. The designers faced a technical challenge with this project. In order to fully integrate the floating plug into the design, the use of a counterweight was not possible, and the diameter of the cable also became a limiting factor. The solution was found in a ground anchor design. With a heavy profile of extra hardened and hot-worked steel, the strength calculations were met without compromising the first design.
PAPER TRAILS
We’ve all made Paper airplanes. These ‘Paper Trails’, from the talented group Wayfinders – part of the student team IGNITE – move naturally with you. From one light artwork to the next. You can see them up at the top of lampposts, high above the pavement and right in front of you in the street. They convey a nostalgia and playfulness that is reminiscent of children playing in the street. Without usual directions such as arrows and signs, they manage to find a magical and effective way to guide visitors through the route. And all this without obscuring the streetscape. Visitors don’t even realize they are following the Paper Trails, but without this signing, they would easily get lost. An airplane is a symbol for bringing people to where they want to be. They always carry you further.’
Last year, in 2021, the Wayfinders brought a path full of luminescent mushrooms to GLOW. You may remember them. The mushrooms formed an interactive system. Visitors activated a mushroom, so that it started to glow and spread its spores to the next mushroom. This caused a chain reaction all over the Tu/e campus. With this concept, they won the Crowe Talent Awards. This year the LED strips from mushrooms will be reused and the team will provide sustainable recycled greencast plexiglass.