Diffusion Choir
Motorized Origami Sculpture That Echoes The Flight Of A Flock Of Birds
Elements are made from a durable high-density polyethylene membrane which can expand and contract via a silent stepper motor controlled by custom circuit boards. The elements open and close individually, choreographed by custom software running real-time mathematical flocking algorithms. Invisible birds exit and join the space over the span of each hour, periodically coalescing into a single flock.
Diffusion Choir reflects the collaborative spirit of Shire and its perpetual quest for innovation in the name of the patient. The graceful breath-like movements of the piece create an open, contemplative space for all the inhabitants of the building to enjoy.
I was on the fabrication team of Hypersonic that built this sculpture in collaboration with Sosolimited and Plebian Design. Artwork statement from the Hypersonic website below:
Diffusion Choir is a kinetic sculpture commissioned by Biomed Realty for the headquarters of Shire, a global biotechnology company, in Cambridge, MA. Hypersonic worked in collaboration with Sosolimited and Plebian Design to design, program, engineer, and fabricate this artwork.
The sculpture celebrates the beauty of individuals working together in harmony, moving as a single entity, creating something greater than the sum of their parts. Four hundred kinetic elements form a hanging volume in the sunlit atrium, describing the motions of an invisible flock of birds soaring throughout the space.
Photo Credit: Hypersonic