Advice Needed – Safe Laser Setup for Interactive Art Installation (on a budget)

[blueUni]

Hi all,
I’m new to lasers and planning an interactive art installation in a 40' x 40' x 12' room. The idea is to use lasers and mirrors to create walls or cones of light, similar to:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DFXj6gFsjM
• https://www.lumus-instruments.com/pr...ffbbbe9231f5e3

Budget is around $1500–$2500 USD. I was looking at something like a Goldenstar projector, controlled via Etherdream and custom software. I want the space to be walkable and immersive, but safety is my main concern.

A few questions:

• How are these types of installations made safe for public interaction?
• Are there low-power lasers that still look good and are safe to use at eye level?
• Can beam diffusers or fog help reduce danger?
• Is it better to just use a video projector + haze for a similar vibe?
• I'm in Canada, but want to follow U.S. safety standards if possible—any tips?

Any advice on making this work safely and effectively is super appreciated!
Thanks!

[laserist]

The goal to do an art installation worth the effort with no background in lasers, no knowledge of laser safety, and a budget $2500 seems unrealistic. There's a guy here that does lumia installations that you might interest within your budget, but it would almost certainly be a short run thing. Another guy does interesting things with a phosphor screen and deep blue/uv scanning to paint complex scenes. Again a short run thing. Both these guys use custom hardware to achieve their art. Lasers are less expensive than the bad old days, but that doesn't make them cheap, inherently safe, or easy.

[blueUni]

The overall project budget is higher, but only about 1/4 to 1/3 would go toward the laser setup specifically. I’ll be working in a blackbox theater with access to video projectors, lighting, sound, etc.—so I’m mostly looking to explore how a laser element could complement that environment.
It’s probably more of a short creative residency than a full “art installation.” It'll be 1–2 weeks of research and testing, with a small showing at the end to share the results. The final piece doesn’t have to be polished—more like a prototype or live experiment—but I’d love to include a laser component if it’s feasible and safe.