StarmFrame: Pocket Edition

Inspiration

The project began with a simple question: “What if a smartphone could become a frame of light?”

I wanted to redefine everyday devices as personal canvases that reflect the user’s identity, not just information terminals.

Created alongside STAREM BACK, this work brings its themes into a more intimate scale— a handheld light that belongs only to you.

What it does

StarmFrame: Pocket Edition is a smartphone-based AI × projection mapping mini installation.

It allows users to experience:

・A smartphone screen transformed into a frame of light ・Light that appears to breathe and pulse in your hand ・A minimal installation suited for small spaces ・Projection-style light expanding beyond the screen

It turns a personal device into your own pocket-sized gallery of light.

How we built it

Concept Design ・Theme: “the heartbeat of light” ・Motifs: glow, ripple, reflection, distortion ・Visuals framed around the smartphone's screen

AI Video Generation (Midjourney / Vidu) ・Generated hundreds of light variations ・Selected cuts balancing structure and unpredictability ・Embraced AI’s beautiful distortions as artistic elements

Editing & Mapping Adaptation ・Used Add / Screen / Overlay blend modes ・Adjusted brightness and composition for mobile screens ・Designed alive, hand-scale animations

Challenges we ran into

・Smartphone-specific limitations (brightness, reflections, screen ratio) ・Distinguishing AI distortions as expression vs. breakage ・Maintaining consistency across AI models ・Noise and edge collapse in bright scenes ・Expressing emotion using light alone ・Ensuring visual coherence when extending light beyond the screen

Accomplishments that we're proud of

・Created a complete AI-powered installation using only a smartphone ・Proposed a new form: handheld light installations ・Expressed emotion with light and motion alone ・Built a workflow merging artistic intent with AI unpredictability ・Demonstrated that installations can start small—with just one device

What we learned

・Smartphones can become frames of personal expression ・AI is a creative partner, not just a tool ・Leaving interpretive gaps leads to new kinds of light ・Spatial expression can begin with the smallest screen ・Art emerges from intent × AI imagination

What's next for StarmFrame: Pocket Edition

・Expanding into a series of small-scale smartphone installations ・Creating an interactive version responsive to viewers

Built With

• chatgpt
• davinciresolve
• higgsfield
• japanese
• midjourney
• vidu