Sound leaves marks in the air. Light flickers through a suspended network, appearing briefly before vanishing again—an atmospheric record of voices, movement, and ambient noise below.

Cumulus is an interactive installation that translates environmental sound into dynamic lighting behaviors. Its cellular structure feels far lighter than the volume it occupies, relying on redundancy and interconnection rather than mass. Like a cloud or sponge, the form gains strength through complexity, producing a soft, irregular silhouette that resists rigid order.

Light behaves unpredictably, echoing the erratic nature of lightning. Programmed behaviors respond to sound amplitude and frequency, generating pulses, waves, and traveling traces that move through the structure. Each activation is temporary, leaving no fixed pattern behind and ensuring the installation is never the same twice.

One behavior traces lightning-like paths through adjacent segments. When sound reaches a defined threshold, the system selects a route through connected nodes. Sporadic noises trigger long, branching streaks of light, while sustained chatter produces rapid, flickering bursts—an electrical static hovering above conversation.

The structure is composed of over two hundred acrylic segments connected by more than one hundred custom 3D-printed joints. Individually addressable LED strands run through the network, allowing each segment to respond independently. Sound analysis and behavioral logic are handled through custom software, enabling the installation to listen continuously and react in real time.

Through light, sound, and structure, Cumulus exists in constant negotiation with its surroundings. The installation produces momentary events rather than fixed images—an ever-changing cloud animated by the presence, movement, and noise of the people beneath it.