See Your Instagram Photos on Giant #F21ThreadScreen
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| mashable.com |
The thread screen – which took a year-and-a-half to build –
can create images and animations with over 6,000 mechanical spools. Each spool can
display one of 36 colours, making up a larger image of 80x80 ‘pixels’. The
spools are connected to thousands of circuits, motors and gears. Half a dozen hidden
fans point at the back of the machine to stop it from overheating. The prodigious
amount of static electricity it creates means that it must also be grounded so
that it doesn’t catch fire.
Each ‘pixel’ is actually a 5 ft. loop of threaded poly blend
fabric printed with 36 pantone colours. By driving the loops with a set of motors
like a conveyor belt, the machine changes the colour of each spool until the
display shows the right colour for that ‘pixel’. Each loop has a reflective strip
sewn into which is scanned by an infrared camera to show the machine where each
colour is on the loop and what colour is currently visible on the display.
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| mashable.com |
In total, the screen is comprised of 200 modules, each made
up of 32 wooden spools. If a ‘pixel’ goes out of alignment, the team can use a
web image and an on-screen grid to work out exactly which spool it is and then reset it. The 16x4 modules can be replaced – they have 10
spares. The thread screen contains 6.7 miles of fabric altogether – 6 times the
length of the Brooklyn Bridge.
From July 22nd – July 28th, Instagram users will be able to
see their photos hashtagged with #F21ThreadScreen recreated on the display via
a live webcam feed streamed on a dedicated YouTube page. The images are
automatically captured and optimised for the screen’s 80x80 resolution. As each
physical ‘pixel’ adjusts, the whole screen appears in flux; in seconds it turns
itself into an enlarged version of your original Instagram photo. You’ll also
get a video of the machine in action as it creates your image. BREAKFAST will
moderate the screen so nothing inappropriate shows up.
The spools don’t move fast enough to produce full-colour
video at a decent frame rate, but the screen is capable of displaying animated GIFs in black and
white. For the time being there are no plans for the screen to leave the BREAKFAST office. Chief creative officer Andrew Zolty says that after the Forever 21
campaign has run through this week, the team will discuss whether they can take
it on the road.
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| mashable.com |
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| mashable.com |
Aaron Waterhouse
Aaron is a recent English graduate from Durham University who is now working as a content writer intern. An enthusiastic traveller, he hopes to become a journalist and report from around the world. Follow him @AaronAtSMF
See Your Instagram Photos on Giant #F21ThreadScreen
Reviewed by Unknown
on
Friday, July 24, 2015
Rating:
Reviewed by Unknown
on
Friday, July 24, 2015
Rating:
Unknown
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