Author: Andy

Categories
Information Design Physical

Aurora & Arc

Aurora and Arc is a physical data visualisation that draws attention to the disparity in treatment of LGBTQIA+ citizens across the major states and  territories of Australia. 

Aluminium rods intersect with two halves of a circle– a universal metaphor for a ‘whole’. The length of each rod from where they meet the raised arc is representative of how long it was punishable by life imprisonment to be in a same-sex relationship – one inch equals a decade. Some rods also include small holes cut into the underside, which indicates states or territories that still don’t allow legal adoption for same-sex couples.

This project is a companion piece to Division & Dusk, developed as an extension of that project to further unpack LGBTQIA+ issues, while contextualising the subject matter to a local, Australian setting.

The above legend can be used to read and interpret the data that informs the sculpture.

Project Details

Name: Aurora & Arc

Year: 2015

Materials: acrylic, aluminium rods, aluminium sheet, screws

Hardware: LEDs

Awards/accolades

Exhibited publicly in ReForm: Art in Public Spaces as part of the Brisbane Street Art Festival in Brisbane, 2017.

Finalist in the inaugural exhibition of the Contemporary Art Awards, exhibited online in 2015.

Categories
Information Design Interactive Art Physical

Division & Dusk

This project responded to a brief asking for a physical data visualisation informed by qualitative data that made a strong case for its own physicality. This criteria was met in Division & Dusk through the inclusion of light as a material. The tripod component of the sculpture includes embedded LEDs that casts light through the central, suspended form (named Division). This light casts shadow across surrounding surfaces, where the holes and wire elements of Division entwine and intersect, resulting in the Dusk element of the work.

Project Details

Name: Division & Dusk

Year: 2015

Materials: acrylic, aluminium rods, screws, chain, wire

Hardware: LEDs, Arduino Uno

Awards/accolades

Exhibited publicly in ReForm: Art in Public Spaces as part of the Brisbane Street Art Festival in Brisbane, 2017.

Categories
Interactive Art Physical Research Tangible Media

Planets

This project is a collaboration with Michael Smith

Planets was also made possible by the partnership between QUT Creative Industries (Brisbane, Australia) and Ars Electronica Futurelab (Linz, Austria).

Planets is a participatory, performance-based interactive artwork, which explores connections between people, places and objects. The work comprises of 30 interactive orbs, designed to respond via proximity to a central ‘master orb’, which is held by a contemporary dance performer while they move through a large crowd. Planets was designed to appropriate and activate event crowds and debuted within a crowd of over 1500 patrons at the 2014 Ars Electronica Festival in Linz, Austria.

This work responded to the challenge of repurposing technology designed for a singular function and reimagining it in new and exciting ways. The technology in question, the Linzerschnitte microcontroller, is a low-cost FM receiver that can output a small current to control small electronic applications. The Linzerschnitte is at the technical heart of this project as it facilitates the relationship between performer and audience.

While Planets functions independently as a performative work, it is also the result of a pratice-based research project. This research investigated the concept of ‘exclusive experiences’ within interactive artworks, which can be understood as experiences that are transient, ephemeral and independent to a moment in time.

Project Details

Name: Planets

Year: 2014

Materials: thermoplastic, acrylic, silicone, thermochromic pigment, coloured pigments, glow pigments, bolts, nuts, wires

Hardware: LEDs, Linzerschnitte microcontroller, vibration motors

Awards/accolades

First exhibited publicly in the Ars Electronica Festival, the world’s premiere event for public, electronic and interactive art in Linz, Austria, 2014.

Finalist in the 2015 Sunshine Coast New Media Art Prize (now retired)

Jury Selection in the 2015 Japan Media Arts Festival