Concept
The Night Lily is an immersive kinetic sculpture nestled high in the Forest canopy. During the day it lies dormant, a beautiful flowerbud sneaking out now and then for a peek at the world around it. At night, however, the energy of the Forest breathes life into the Night Lily as it blooms into a spectacle of light, color, and motion.
The petals blossom and retract as they are illuminated with intricate patterns and textures, in a mesmerising dance of both projected and kinetic motion. Periodically, it releases a cooling mist, “pollenating” those who bask in its glow.
The Night Lily’s design strives to achieve an organic vivacity from inorganic components. Its overall form employs forced perspective, making it appear much larger when viewed from below, while the mechanics and materials allow the petals to bloom and flutter naturally in the wind. The projection mapped generative textures are thoughtfully crafted to fit the flower’s shape and movements, and invite the eye to linger.
Community
Sights like this are quite common under the Night Lily, as people come together to cool down in its misty pollen and bask in its soft glow. The Night Lily’s hypnotic patterns invite festivalgoers to lay down and fully immerse themselves in its ethereal aura, creating a uniquely intimate space in which strangers become friends, sharing their stories and secrets.
Atmospheric Effects
As it blooms and wilts with the energy of the forest, the Night Lily emits a sparkling mist of “pollen” (actually a fine, water-based mist), stimulating the sense of touch with a cooling sensation.
Full Bloom
During the day it lies mostly dormant—a beautiful flower bud sneaking out now and then for a peek at the world around it. At night, however, the ancient tonic of wildness breathes life into the Night Lily as it blooms into a mesmerizing spectacle of light, color, and motion.
Generative Textures
The Night Lily combines custom animations with generative techniques to create its mesmerizing textures, never showing the exact same pattern twice.
Custom Control Server
A custom-built server is housed in a single weatherproof road case with climate control & dust protection. The enhanced processing power enables multi-layered generative video content with an even finer amount of detail and video effects at 60 frames per second, taking the mesmerizing light show to new heights. It’s never the same show twice.
Textiles
Careful attention was paid to the textile selection. The design called for a textile that is weatherproof, wear-resistant, semi-transparent, lightweight, and visually appealing during the day. Ultimately, we used an open-weave synthetic material in a burnout chiffon pattern, interwoven with silver glitter strands which sparkle in the daylight.
Construction
The Night Lily features a welded steel frame, forged steel hoist ring, and custom-formed aluminum petal rods. These components make the Night Lily extremely robust, reducing the necessity of on-site maintenace and allowing the Night Lily to bloom frequently and fluidly throughout the event.
Reliability
After the popularity of the first iteration, the Night Lily was upgraded with brand-new frame, several bespoke metal and nylon parts, a weatherproof easy-access housing, and a custom IP65-rated cable loom with Neutrik PowerCon and EtherCon connectors, which allow it to operate continuously outdoors for extended periods of time.
