In September, Illuminate lit Grace Cathedral, and the AwePad came with it.
Grace Window
Illuminate has sent lasers through Grace Cathedral's Rose Window since 2023. This year, from September 21 to 25, twenty-five of Nu-Salt Laser's Laser Space Cannons on the roof of The Fairmont sent beams 720 feet across Nob Hill, one into each of the window's twenty-five panes, from sunset to sunrise. The cathedral was open free every evening, with live music inside by Tim Weed, Daniel Berkman and Alex Kelly.
Painting the window
On the AwePad, the window's twenty-five panes are twenty-five shapes on the screen, right where they sit in the glass. Painting the screen paints the window.
Anyone could pick it up. Kids, parents and grandparents took turns with the AwePad, and every change faded in gently.
The City of Awe
Ben Davis: "What makes San Francisco the City of Awe is the culture of generosity that makes works like Grace Window possible." Building the AwePad is our way of participating in that culture of generosity and, as in the summer, of showing that software can be used for the greater good. Thank you to Ben and Illuminate, Tim Anderson and the Nu-Salt crew, and Grace Cathedral and The Fairmont.
Grace Window is by Illuminate, conceived by Ben Davis, with Grace Cathedral and The Fairmont. Lasers by Nu-Salt Laser (Tim Anderson). AwePad control software by Constructive.