Designing a sheet thin enough for light to shine through, yet thick enough to float on top of water, was a tricky task. The designers explain, “We wanted to mimic water striders and achieve a similar deformation of the water surface, yet in a controlled way, to be able to ‘paint’ on the water. The goal was to create a structure, a kind of net or grid with varying heights, which could float on water surface and deform it at predetermined spots: the dominant parts of the net should be touching the surface causing the shadow spots, while the others should be hanging above the surface, letting the light go through.”
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First beginning with fishing wire, the pair felt confident to move onto 3-D printed material for their final product. They hope advancements in 3-D printing can bring them closer to creating sheets that are almost invisible to the naked eye – just like water striders. While the choice of the haiku – “old pond / frog jumps in / sound of water” by Matsuo Bashō – fits the theme of the project, the team says any bitmap image could be printed on the sheets to cast mind-bending shadows through the water.
+ Drzach & Suchy
Via Fast Company
Images via Drzach & Suchy
