Mini Post - Lasercut Metal & LEDs

Hi all! Just coming on here to share something cool I saw recently at The Edge in New York. I’m excited to use this blog casually like this to just share my thoughts on everyday things.

So The Edge is of course a big tourist attraction in NY, so of course the buildup to it will be a large part of the experience. While my party was in the queue, I couldn’t help but notice the lighting fixture above us.

I found this installation very inspiring, and thought it was a really clever and effective experience. The design consists of sheets of metal or acrylic cut in approximately 4” x 4” pieces and attached together with programmable LEDs behind them to form the visage of the city. With the laser, they were able to achieve extremely fine detail to create a pattern that resembled both the city lights and the night sky. The lights behind it were changing constantly. One moment the whole thing was a gradient of colors, the next it was just the central park area lit up.

This made me think about all the different things you could apply like this. The shiny metal that is subtracted from looks great when the lights from behind it and the environment give it so much to reflect. I hope I see more cool applications of design techniques like this as I continue to explore my city.