Nova is a 10’ diameter panel of 21,600 LEDs in a 6-pointed star. A computer controls the color and brightness of each LED, creating a vast animated video screen with a triangular grid. The displayed scenes range from majestic celestial images to playful animations to mind-stretching psychedelia.

The computer program that controls the piece is LED Lab an iPad app that allows any image or video file to be used in creating animations. (City/country-specific imagery can be integrated into the performance.) This app is available on the Apple iTunes Store.

Nova can be installed in various ways. Most of the time it hangs in a horizontal orientation, viewed from below. Since it weighs only about 150lbs it can be supported by most exposed beams or joists. It can also be suspended by an easily-transportable aluminum tripod. It can also be hung in a vertical orientation to be viewed from the side.

A particularly pleasant, immersive installation has Nova installed horizontally with pads or pillows on the floor below. The same computer plays classical music through high-quality speakers at gentle but immersive volume. A sequence of visual scenes is chosen for each piece that highlights particular moments or transitions. The audio and animated images combine to create an inviting, surrounding, comfortable, convivial space.

Nova is currently in the No Spectators - The Art of Burning Man exhibition in the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC. In January of 2019, it will tour with this exhibition to Cincinnati, OH and Oakland, CA.