Method and apparatus for controlling liquid crystal states

A device comprising:

• liquid crystal material;
• at least one polymeric structure consisting of polymerised liquid crystal material with a selected locked-in liquid crystal state in which liquid crystal molecules are unable to realign in response to an applied electric field, electrodes for applying an electric field to the liquid crystal material, and a controller configured to:
• apply an electric field to the liquid crystal material using the electrodes to force the liquid crystal material into a high-energy state;
• reduce the strength of the electric field to cause a lower-energy state region of liquid crystal to nucleate on at least a part of the polymeric structure;
• wherein a defect separates the lower-energy state region from a region of the liquid crystal material having the high-energy state;
• and
• the controller is configured to control a position or a shape, or both a position and a shape, of the defect by modifying the strength of the applied electric field.