Electronics project created during lockdown which projects a dynamic luminous apparition from reflections on a compact disc.

OPTICAL DISK is an interactive automaton that produces a luminous form through the reflection of a light source – which first passes through a lens – onto a compact disc in order to expose its spectral range. Initially, the idle state of the apparition has a minimal, subtle animation. By placing their hand on a disc in front of them, the user will trigger changes in the observed entity’s color and movement.

With the proliferation of streaming services, the way music is consumed today loses all the tactility and materiality it once had. Indeed, this is a big part of the appeal of vinyl records. We are now facing the obsolescence of compact discs, a medium whose physical appearance has a certain “je ne sais quoi” with its multicolored reflective surface.

The intention behind the project is based on this dichotomy between materiality and immateriality in music, and it is especially present in the nature of the interaction with physical touch generating effects on a perceptible yet impalpable level.