LIGHT, SPACE, MATERIAL AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES IN THE STAINED GLASS INSTALLATIONS OF THE SOFTlab STUDIO IN NEW YORK

Abstract

The article examines the work of the New York design studio SOFTlab in the context of the transformation of stained-glass art in the 20th and early 21st centuries. Attention is focused on the processes of rethinking the traditional principles of working with glass, light and color in modern artistic and architectural practices. It is shown that in the context of the development of digital technologies, parametric design and new materials, stained glass goes beyond the classical plane of the window and is transformed into a spatial installation integrated into the architectural environment and public space.
The methodological principles of the SOFTlab studio are analyzed, which are based on an interdisciplinary approach, a combination of architecture, art, programming and experimental production technologies. The role of parametric modeling, algorithmic form formation and digital production in creating complex spatial structures that interact with light, color and the movement of the viewer is considered. Special attention is paid to the use of dichroic materials, LED lighting and interactive systems that allow the formation of dynamic visual effects and changing atmospheric environments.
Based on the analysis of a number of implemented projects of the studio – spatial installations, suspended structures, architectural pavilions and interactive art objects – the specificity of the artistic language of SOFTlab is revealed. It is shown that its works combine the sculpturality of form, the optical properties of materials and the algorithmic logic of construction, thanks to which the architectural space is transformed into an active environment of perception. Light, reflection, color and movement of visitors are key factors in the formation of the artistic experience.
It is concluded that the activities of the SOFTlab studio demonstrate a new stage in the development of stained-glass art, in which traditional principles of working with light and colored material are combined with digital technologies, parametric design and interactive media. This contributes to the formation of innovative spatial environments, where the boundaries between art, architecture and technology are becoming increasingly conditional.