Exhibition "Clothed in Light" – when 3D printing comes alive in the dark

The entrance hall of the Institute for Nanomaterials, Advanced Technologies and Innovation (CXI) at TUL in Bendlova Street has turned into a quiet theatre of light for the first August evenings. As part of the InterBridge project, a mini-exhibition of T-shirts with phosphorescent 3D motifs was created – glowing green in the dark: faces, animals, and curious shapes, as if they had just stepped out of a dream. The 3D models were designed by Lukáš Prokop from the Secondary Technical School in Česká Lípa, based on AI-generated images – yes, even this kind of human-machine collaboration has its magic. The printing, testing and fine-tuning of the shirts was carried out by our colleagues at TUL together with partners from TU Chemnitz, who supported the filament testing and gave valuable input on textile application – thank you!

So, why do they glow? The filament used works on the principle of phosphorescence – it absorbs UV light and slowly releases the energy as visible light, even after the light source is turned off. (Not to be confused with fluorescence, which only glows under direct illumination.) The glowing effect is caused by photoluminescent pigments, most commonly based on alkaline aluminates doped with europium. And there's science in the process too: we experimented with different printing thicknesses, temperatures, and heat-press times, trying to find the right balance between adhesion to the fabric and glowing intensity. You can actually see the process in some prints – for example, the wolf with a dimly glowing head, or a bag with an overly thick print that didn't work on a T-shirt…

At first, some visitors and colleagues mistook the exhibition for a T-shirt sale (kudos to receptionist Dáša for patiently explaining), but thanks to extra posters and a rearranged setup, the display now works as intended. The only thing slightly spoiling the atmosphere is the ever-glowing CXI logo in the background, which never goes dark – day or night. But the essential experience remains: when dusk falls, the glass façade of the CXI entrance becomes a quiet stage, with the shirt motifs glowing softly into the space like luminous relics. Take an evening walk around the CXI building – after sunset is when the magic truly begins.

The "Clothed in Light" exhibition is open until 15 August. And remember – these are not "just T-shirts with prints". Behind them lies hard work, experimentation, technology – and above all, the collaboration of people who believe that science and art can speak the same language.

Hana Křížová