Through the Gorilla Glass

Community Activation with Interactive Installation

Creative Outline:
Making Waves in the Art of Communication

Conceived as interactive event installation, Through the Gorilla Glass was designed to question our modes of communication, going beyond our typical screen-based interactions, into an spatial experience that is ultimately made by visitors into a dynamic composition.

On Site at the City Hall Roof, Nuit Blanche Toronto
This active sculpture consists of mechanical arms moving in sequence along the length of the sculpture, actuated by visitors. Waves of musical movement are triggered as one engages the sculptural interface. As the machine moves and reacts, it triggers a separate series of sensors and lights, designed to respond to specific movements.
Through the Gorilla Glass is a seminal work produced with Design Guild. Originally commissioned for Toronto’s Nuit Blanche arts festival, it was later exhibited during the Unsilent Night arts event in Cambridge, Ontario, and the Burning Man festival.
Video Presentation
Documenting Assembly
& Public Interaction
Coupled with artistic concept and production, I maintained a lead role in documentation, visual representation, and further promotional activities to continue display of the artwork at multiple events. Seen here is a compilation video at two primary event experiences, showcasing the assembly as well as community activation of the dynamic sculpture becoming part of the events at which it was featured.
video edit & music for sculpture showcase
at 'Unsilent Night', Cambridge ON, and Burning Man
Through the gorilla glass as featured At Burning Man
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Lighting Systems
An Exploration of Technologies
A range of lighting techniques and tools were explored and developed to activate the artwork at night. The intent was to amplify the motion of the piece, adding other layers of interaction and visual effects. An Arduino based program I created that measured input from a tilt-sensor to create lighting originally to be featured along the spine, also offering other trigger options for sound systems. The primary lighting, however, used a much simpler array of tilt-switch based lights that alternate colours as the arms of the piece change angles, creating illuminated patterns of transverse wave motion.

dynamic sculptural lighting enhancing motion

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Prototyping and Fabrication:
Digital Tools & Practical Craft

To design and build the dynamic sculpture, a variety of prototyping and production techniques were employed. Hand crafted as well as rapid 3D printing tools were regularly used to develop both the mechanism and form of the piece. For the final system, the 84 interconnected arms were cut architectural maple plywood using a large CNC machine. Further, resonating counterweights were water-jet cut from steel, which themselves resonate while enhancing the specific motion produced by visitors.
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 'Unsilent Night' Arts Festival, Cambridge, ON

long exposure demonstrating colour shift

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