133 | thick film electroluminescence | electroluminescent materials (EL)
?ehp^kl Monosmart material | Monosmart application Light-emitting smart material: FABRIC WITH EL PRINT Illuminations depending on light and software
Loop.pH Ltd. – Rachel Wingfield, Mathias Gmachl, Great Britain Light-kinetic room dividers | Great Britain (2004)
wide, textile louvres suspended from the ceiling. They are arranged side by side to open in a space-saving manner in their own guide rails.
made to surround the individual patterned areas ornamentally, allows each area to be individually supplied with current and hence controlled.
The work Blumen (Flowers) by designers Rachel Wingfield and Mathias Gmachl at their company Loop.pH Ltd. in London shows how traditional decorative floral patterns can be used in conjunction with EL technology for the development of innovative room dividers.
The pattern consists of a four-part leaf motif that, when reflected eight times, forms a square basic shape and is arranged in a larger square pattern, which in its turn, depending on the desired louvre dimensions, can be extended by simply adding more patterns to the sides or above and below. The pattern was made to luminesce by an electroluminescent ink, which was applied to the textile using a special inkjet printer. Thin electrical wire, different in colour and
With specially developed software the room dividers can be designed to react to various stimuli depending on the characteristics of the sensors used. It would be possible for example to have room dividers in which a varying number of areas would luminesce, depending on the current state of light conditions. With the right control system the patterned areas could illuminate to create their own patterns.
The room dividers, which were first developed as functional technology demonstrators, consist of several similar shaped,
Blumen room divider with a section of pattern (technology demonstrator). | Detailed photograph of Blumen room divider. | Partial, pattern-forming illumination of individual patterned areas.