LUMENAURA ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: ADAM MOLSKI – STARLIGHT PORTALS

STARLIGHT PORTALS AT LUMENAURA: Wonder is a suspense of disbelief, a feeling of awe and astonishment.  These emotions served as a guiding light, inspiring the design and creation of the Starlight Portals.  Each 8ft tall installation will be adorned with multiple 3d iridescent "petals" that will catch the sun and sparkle in daylight.  They will be dazzling on their own, however, it is in the evening when the magic truly happens.  Each Starlight Portal will be illuminated by hundreds of interactive animated LEDs.  The display will change depending on the viewing distance of the guest.  As one steps closer, the display will respond, and the animation will progress in various ways.  This base level of interactivity, coupled with the scale of the portals themselves, and the complexity of colors playing inside each 3d iridescent petal are sure to amaze and inspire.  Some of these portals will also serve as ready-made selfie stations as we plan to set them up to frame interesting viewing locations for other installations off in the distance. (Adam's art will be located throughout the four-block area of LUMENAURA Fest Weekend, October 11-13. Enjoy exploring the event to discover his creative masterpieces!) 

Photo by City of Aurora

Let me share a little about myself, Adam Molski, the artist behind the Starlight Portals.  With an eclectic professional history including aerospace engineering and CNC machining, I currently work as a freelance design artist based out of Chicago.  I started with a few art installations and interactive art pieces in 2014.  I've always been fascinated with the modern magic of animated lighting supported by computer-aided design and fabrication techniques.  The wizards of our world bend electricity to their will and who doesn't want to make magic!  My latest work has been in laser-cut decorative lighting for the home under the brand Mystic Lightworks.  These shadow lanterns and animated sculptures use finger joints at each seam to hold their structure.  I give my pieces a unique sense of depth by layering the features on each face and often incorporate iridescent acrylic to provide a splash of color creating a tasteful and intricate design.

Some of my most impressive work so far has been as part of a team that designed and built the InGenious art installation.  This 30-foot-long steel genie lamp is more of an experience than a simple sculpture.  On the outside, the lamp features interactive lighting animated by thousands of LEDs.  These respond to hand gestures generating a living animation that completely changes in response to finger and hand motions.  The inside is a magical world of its own.  Decorated to suit the theme and staffed with live genies that play games and interact with guests.  This installation was the result of thousands of hours of work by a dedicated team of which I was only one member.  My role on the team was threefold: to create the original design model and blueprints, to fabricate the steel sheets plating the outside of the installation, and to lead the design, fabrication, and programming of the interactive lighting system.  I'm very proud of what we accomplished with InGenious and I plan to bring that same level of energy and enthusiasm to the Starlight Portals at Lumenaura!"

EXAMPLES OF ADAM'S PAST WORK: