A Mesmerizing Kinetic Display That Captures and Recreates Hashtagged Instagram Photos With Thread

Brooklyn-based creative hardware prototyping agency BREAKFAST partnered with clothing company Forever 21 to create the F21 Thread Screen, a mesmerizing visual kinetic display that automatically captures and recreates Instagram photos tagged as #f21threadscreen with different colors of thread at an incredible 80 x 80 resolution. In thread. Analog meet Digital.

Made of 200,000 parts, weighing 2,000 lbs, and taking over a year and half to build, Forever 21 and BREAKFAST today revealed a massive machine that displays Instagrams tagged with #f21threadscreen via 6,400 mechanical spools of thread. …The F21 Thread Screen is one of the most complex machines ever built for a brand. It’s comprised of 200,000+ parts – over 8 times what you’d find in your car. Every component, from the thousands of motors and gears, to the 600 pounds of milled aluminum, to the turned wooden spools – all have been custom designed, engineered, and manufactured from scratch. Despite the massive complexities living under the hood, the result is a beautiful and simple looking display that is mesmerizing to watch.

images via BREAKFAST

submitted via Laughing Squid Tips