Obscura Digital
Transparent LCD (T-LCD) screens are glass displays whose backing and light source have been removed. Instead of generating light, they require an external light source such as the sun to see the displayed images. Obscura creates cutting-edge media specifically for T-LCD screens, where the world beyond shines through and intermingles with the media to create dynamic multi-level animations, akin to digital stained glass.
When motion sensors and RFIDs are introduced into the system, the multi-level animation experience becomes an interactive augmented reality display. The media can be made to react and respond to the viewer’s position, movements, and even interests, as well as the natural environment (sun location, brightness, time of day, vehicles passing, etc.).
With multiple layers of animation and interactive potential, these installations offer a unique, dynamic and breathtaking media experience in a small installation, and especially when executed at scale. With T-LCD, architecture can now live, breathe, and be an active player in its own right, blurring the lines between interior and exterior reality.
My Contribution
I contributed to this prototype in the San Francisco office by working closely with the developer team to ensure we had a software distribution architecture, media syncing elements, and playlist controls.
Matthew Ragan 