In a new light art installation dubbed Sense of Field, Tokyo artist Hitomi Sato lets visitors simultaneously see, touch and shape shimmers of light all on sides.

The immersive experience is facilitated by thousands of transparent tendrils extending from two walls opposite one another. Each visitor walking between them,touches bristles on both sides, creating waves of motion that can be both seen and felt.

Perspective matters: observers outside the installation see it all from another angle, experiencing the setup differently primarily as a function of gleaming luminosity. Once engaged through physical contact, sensations multiply as clothing and skin brush beads of heat and illumination.

Of her work, the artist says that “when [she] sees the shimmer of light, images of various natural light comes to her mind. For example, ripples on the water’s surface, sunlight through the leaves of trees, rays from a break in the clouds, and the reflections on window’s glass.”

The 90s are back and better than ever, with Hypercolor-style material science now making its way onto exterior surfaces, robust enough to withstand external weather but with the same color-changing properties you know and love from those once-cool t-shirts.

Potential applications of Olikrom are many, from tracing air paths across model airplanes wind tunnel simulations to creating buildings that change color, brighten or darken by night or day.

Prefab panels could be installed, or existing buildings repainted to create desired effects in all kinds of different conditions, from wall-touch interactivity to colors optimized around sky conditions or times of day.

Of course, there are many fun possibilities as well, like adding color-sensitive paint to coffee mugs to determine how hot and full they are, or creating a really cool every-changing car paint pattern as show in the video above.

Taking the playful side a bit further, variants on Neverwet-style, appear-on-demand graffiti are also possible – hidden appear-after-dark messages or stealth art on sidewalks and walls, or more on the practical side: touch-or-temperature-activated warnings when streets are wet.

The background sounds of urban environments can be invigorating when you are out and about, but enervating when you are at home and want to tune them out. Now imagine a simple gadget you can stick to your window letting you do just that – a volume knob for everyday life.

Sono is a remarkable working prototype, created and tested by industrial designer Rudolf Stefanich that “turns your window into an advanced noise cancelling system that allows you to eliminate and/or control the sounds that pass through.”

Cancellation of background noise is just the first step, however, with specific-sound filtering and replacement via a user-friendly touch interface as advanced options.

The gagdet will allow to you dial up or turn down the sounds of car sirens, traffic horns and other intrusive distractions, but it will also give you the power to select a preferred ambient audio experience instead. It effectively offers an adjustable soundtrack of your own choosing.

From its creator: “In our loud and busy world a moment of silence has become a scarce and almost luxurious experience. The pebble like device you can see here lets you reclaim that silence for your home. With its concentric broadband antenna rings, it harvests the energy of electromagnetic noise from Wi-Fi, and similar signals and this way also reduces the level of e-smog pollution in your environment.”