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Élan Vital

Reuben Jacob and Quy Phung Ta

Élan Vital by Reuben Jacob and Quy Phung Ta
Exploring the notions of the invisible ‘life force’ that may occupy our physical spaces, Élan Vital uses interactive light artefacts to respond to human movement. Employing elementary computer vision to capture human motion, data is parsed into 3D volumes using the technique of ray marching, and illuminated onto reconfigurable spatial construct.


Responding to the architecture of a deconsecrated church, spatial light artefacts react to human presence and movement. Beginning with playful, distributed interaction and eventually morphing to represent one life force, Élan Vital reveals the often-invisible relationship we share with our environment.

Image: Élan Vital by Reuben Jacob and Quy Phung Ta