Before code entered the story, there was light.
Lux is the first chapter of Pursuit of Equilibrium, a body of work exploring how physical systems move toward balance. The artworks in Lux are not digital simulations. They are long-exposure photographs created using real pendulums swinging in darkness.
A programmable RGB light attached to the pendulum traces its motion through space. Over time, the camera records this path, revealing geometric structures normally invisible to the human eye.
What appears as a drawing is actually the trace of a real physical system moving toward equilibrium.
MAKING MOTION VISIBLE
Pendulums are among the simplest systems in physics. A suspended mass naturally swings under the influence of gravity, gradually losing energy as it settles toward rest.
By attaching light to the moving mass and capturing the motion with long exposure photography, the path of the pendulum becomes visible.
These shapes are known as Lissajous curves, patterns created when motion occurs along two axes with different oscillation periods.
Lux was an attempt to capture these hidden patterns directly from the physical world.
FROM SIMPLE PENDULUM TO BLACKBURN PENDULUM
The earliest Lux experiments were improvised.
The first pendulum rig was assembled from little more than string, duct tape, and a flashlight suspended above a camera in a dark room.
Lux No. 1 was created using this simple pendulum configuration. In a simple pendulum, the mass swings with the same period in every direction, producing elegant but limited structures.
To explore more complex motion, the system evolved into a Blackburn pendulum.
A Blackburn pendulum introduces two different effective lengths depending on the direction of motion. Each axis swings with a slightly different period, causing the motions to interfere and generate intricate geometric paths.
BUILDING THE RIG
As the experiments progressed, the pendulum system became increasingly refined.
The original string setup made precise tuning difficult. Small adjustments dramatically changed the resulting patterns.
The system was eventually rebuilt using lightweight structural components, hinges, and turnbuckles. These allowed pendulum lengths to be adjusted with millimeter precision.
At the end of the pendulum hung a weighted mass containing a programmable RGB flashlight. The entire system was suspended above a camera inside a completely dark room.
Many of the final photographs were captured inside a small blacked-out bedroom using a Canon 5D Mark IV set for long exposure.
Exposure times varied depending on the motion of the system. Some lasted less than a minute, while others captured several minutes as the pendulum gradually lost energy.
THE LUX COLLECTION
Hundreds of exposures were captured during these experiments.
From this body of work, seven pieces were selected as the official Lux collection.
Each work is titled sequentially from Lux No. 1 through Lux No. 7 and was released as a one-of-one auction beginning with a zero ETH reserve.
Although the images appear graphical, they are not drawn by hand or generated by software. Each piece is the direct result of a physical pendulum system moving through space.
The geometry is produced by gravity itself.
THE SEEKER'S COLLECTION
Each Lux auction also included a participation element.
Every unique bidder received a special edition artwork known as a Seeker's piece, forming a separate collection called The Seeker's Collection.
Four Lux auctions included Seeker editions:
Tempus
Motu
Clepsydra
Kinesis
Some of these pieces incorporated puzzles or interactive elements designed to reward curiosity and exploration.
A BEGINNING
Lux began as a simple pendulum experiment in a dark room.
In building tools to understand and preview these systems, a new medium began to emerge.
That evolution became Chapter II: Pendulums.
