SeqSha – Shadow Sequencer is a light-and-shadow instrument composed of ten flexible LED lamps individually sequenced by a repurposed microcontroller. By reusing existing electronic hardware and replacing mechanical relays with MOSFET-based switching, the work adopts principles of permacomputing, extending the lifespan of computational materials while revealing their poetic potential.

Each of the ten lamps can be repositioned by the viewer, transforming the installation into an open-ended system for shadow composition. Any object placed within the field of light becomes a performer, generating layered silhouettes and ephemeral spatial drawings. Through the combination of programmable sequencing and manual adjustment, the work produces an almost inexhaustible variety of visual configurations.

Inspired by traditional Chinese shadow theatre, SeqSha explores how narratives emerge from the interplay of light, absence, and projection. It also echoes Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, where shadows become mediators between physical reality and perception. Here, illumination is simultaneously material and computational: algorithms orchestrate the appearance of light, while viewers shape its consequences through their interventions.

At the intersection of code, recycled electronics, and participatory performance, SeqSha – Shadow Sequencer invites audiences to engage with computation not as an invisible process, but as a tangible medium for creating ever-changing worlds of light and shadow.

Computational audiovisual art, design, direction, production and video editing – André Rangel.