Lightweaver – Illuminating Museums and Festivals

In 8th grade, Todd Moyer fell in love with making after combining a shop class assignment — a little gadget that varied a lightbulb’s voltage in response to audio signals — with his home stereo and some Christmas lights, turning his room into a disco club. “The exhilaration I felt was not just from pretty lights and music, but the feeling of empowerment that came from owning what was created,” he says. “When my creations are at their best, they’re giving that same feeling to participants.” After a decade working as an independent artist and president of experiential art company 11 Dimensions, Moyer continues to spread that infectious joy through his interactive art installations.

Many pieces that Moyer and his team make end up as exhibitions in museums, festivals, and other public spaces. For example, at the 2025 Portland Winter Light Festival, Moyer debuted Illoominated II, a large loom-like installation that creates the illusion of weaving laser threads into an ever-shifting quantum tapestry. A revitalization of a 2014 project, it consists of two RGB laser systems, two video projectors, a stepper motor drive system to turn the crank wheel, and a computer. The piece uses a combination of laser and video mapping to create the illusion of fabric being made from projected threads of light. Moyer created the idea as a tribute to Ada Lovelace, celebrating her early vision of modern computers through the technology of her time.

Another installation, Laser Graffiti, is currently located at the Hopscotch immersive art experience in San Antonio, TX. Participants get to “draw” on the room’s walls with spray-can-shaped lasers; behind the scenes, the technology uses projection mapping to track a laser dot from the cans in real time, rendering a drippy paint effect in its path via video projectors. Like anything projection-mapped, the installation takes careful alignment and calibration – because of this, a major challenge for 11 Dimensions’ creative team is designing projects resilient enough to stand up against constant human interaction or outdoor conditions. Moyer reflects, “You can build some beautiful, interactive exhibit, but if it’s a maintenance nightmare, then it will be doomed to a short lifespan.”

Photography by Todd Moyer

In the workshop, some of Moyer’s most vital tools include his laser cutter (which is great for making anything 2D or 3D), a 3D printer (which is good for everything else), and TouchDesigner, a software tool that enables rapid development of audio/video apps with little or no coding. However, Moyer believes a Maker’s most vital tools are not physical at all. “Everything has a learning curve, of course, so the most important skills are patience and tenacity.” You can see more of Moyer’s work on his Instagram or Bluesky.

This article appeared in Make: Vol 94.