Penumbra, 2025

63cm x 63cm x 52cm

Laser cut and engraved acrylic

Inspired by the interference patterns of the double-slit experiment—a foundational concept in quantum mechanics that demonstrates the wave–particle duality of light—Penumbra incorporates personally collected GPS data from Singapore’s Formula 1 night race circuit, alongside photometric illuminance readings of the track route both in and out of season.

Presented in laser-cut and engraved acrylic, its symmetrical profile echoes the interference patterns of light, while its transparency and layering evoke the elusive nature of light itself. This stratified construction operates both as a sculptural representation and as a visual metaphor for the distribution of light across the urban landscape.

The double-slit experiment, a cornerstone of quantum mechanics, demonstrates the wave-particle duality of light and matter. Photons - a quanta, the smallest discrete unit of light are massless, elementary particles exhibit this duality. But throughout our lives, we neglect these elementary particle’s transformative impact on our everyday lives. This piece presents a physical interpretation of one of light’s fundamental behaviours through an artistic lens, creating a visual metaphor of the wave-particle behaviour through literal lighting and spatial data in sculptural form.

Using light readings and personally collected GPS data mapping Singapore’s F1 track, Penumbra makes tangible the difference in the typically intangible elements of space and light in the context of Singapore’s annual F1 Grand Prix. As F1’s first night race track and posing its own set of challenges in the heart of metropolitan Singapore, space and light planning have played crucial, defining roles in transforming city streets into a track fit for this premier racing event. 

Displayed as a multilayered sculpture, Penumbra is made up of numerous layers of regularly distributed acrylic that delineate the vague outline of Singapore’s city track connected with threaded rods and bolts. Its standing form will be defined by the area of projected lightning distribution from track lighting and the number of layers at each point of the track will vary, mapping the contour of light intensity along the route on a typical night.