Cheap materials and small surprises

One of the most rewarding and yet frustrating things about these projects is that you sometimes need to commit yourself to an idea before you fully understand all of your options.

For instance, my array of infrared LEDs and receivers (pictured below in all of its hot-glue-and-gaffer-tape glory), though effective, does not implement any of the various light tuning/focusing techniques I've discovered in only the last few days, far too late to incorporate into my design.

On the other hand, despite hours of research into rear projection materials and advice from fellow artists/technicians, the $3 white vinyl shower curtain that I'm using on the back of the glass panel as a projection surface works like gangbusters.

Also, despite my disappointment with the amount of tape, glue, and foam core that went into this design, the fact that the glass "wall" looks somewhat presentable (aside from the wood blocks clamped to the bottom, which will be painted) is a testament to the fact that sometimes it's only the surface (the illusion) that matters. If you can convince the viewer that you've made something seamless and solid, then it doesn't necessarily matter how much of a mess you're hiding behind that foam core!

Lastly, my plan for the projected visual material is to use macro-ish and/or textural photos from the space in which the walls are being installed (DL1). Here are a few of my favorites so far (I'm hoping to go even more abstract for the final versions):