Mapping Light

Industrial Design students come together with animation students to light up the Ravenhill Chapel

Lights surrounds us. When someone has the power to manipulate light they have the power to control how an individual feels and experiences a space. The Lighting for Public Experience class at Jefferson, puts Industrial design students and Animation students, who are interested in lighting design together. The final results is an experience all told by light.

Projection mapping is the next generation of lighting design. From small experiences here in Philadelphia to larger ones at Walt Disney World, projection mapping is changing the way people see light. Throughout the semester, students mapped the historic Ravenhill Chapel on Jefferson’s East Falls Campus and designed a light show using still images, videos, and animations. They were also encouraged to explore visuals inspired by the human body, such as viruses and CAT scans.

Students enjoying the show

This year the school purchased two large format projectors which allowed for more advanced animations and detailed displays on the entire interior of the chapel. A similar event ran last year although these new projectors made more complex designs possible. Tori March, a junior Industrial Designer said that, “Many hours were spent on mapping, but it was a very satisfying result because the immersive imagery made you feel like you were within the animation.”

The night brought together students from all different majors to experience the show on campus.

The collaborative effort came together at the end of the semester, in a night that invited students, friends, family and faculty to enjoy.The students worked on the light shows as part of a class project in two lighting courses taught by Lyn Godley, associate professor of industrial design. The courses are part of a lighting concentration in the industrial design program.