Scattered Light visualizes museum visitors’ reflections on the notion of ‘freedom,’ using archived video recordings in which individuals share their associations with the concept.

A machine travels along a nine-meter rail, printing selected sentences and images from the video collection. Over time, the ephemeral faces and texts disappear.

The machine works on a large wall coated in UV-sensitive pigment. As it moves across the surface, it switches 96 UV LEDs on and off in precise sequences, temporarily revealing dots and dashes that combine to form texts and images. Once a visual is printed, the machine reverses course and overlays it with a new image, imprinting itself upon the fading memory of the previous one.

Scattered Light was commissioned by National Museum of American Jewish History, Philadelphia.