Client: City of Coral Springs, FL

Overview

Coalescence emerges as a pair of entwined metal orchids, pulsating with interactive brilliance. Their illuminated petals respond to the slightest touch on the leaves, orchestrating an ambient soundscape that mirrors the unseen dance of quantum particles.

The installation aims to bring out a spirit of play and wonder in the audience through its larger-than-life scale and interactivity. It is a playful dialogue between nature on a macro-scale and quantum interaction on the micro-scale. A symbol of love, beauty, and fertility, the orchid contrasts the calculating and rigid science of physics, while serving as an analogy for the interaction of the universe’s smallest particles.

The logic behind the interactivity is based on the fundamentals of quantum mechanics. Just as with entangled quantum particles, each of the entwined orchid stems react to input on the other. Just as with quantum superposition, the soundtrack is unknown until the orchid senses people, at which point it comes alive, building in solidity.

Originally designed for burning man this artwork is a unique artwork commissioned by and in the collection of the City of Coral Springs, FL.

Materials:
galvanized steel, ipe, led lights, speakers, sensors
Dimensions:
17’ x 27’ x 17

Goals

The goal was to have a dynamic interactive piece of public art on the art walk. The site was a 10 foot circle. But there were no limitations on how far it could extend past that foundation. By creating an orchid, the leaves extend out inviting people walking by to engage.
The custom soundscape that was composed for the sculpture comes out of seven speakers that create a immersive experience.

Process

The sheer amount of collaboration on this project is staggering. For fabrication, we had to coordinate with suppliers for water jet, plasma, and laser cutting, hot dip galvanized angle, laser cutting break forming, pipe bending, and CNC cutting. Our team of 10 people worked in the shop through the heat of the summer to bring this to life, in the midst of moving to a larger facility.
The custom compose soundtrack involved working with four different composers to create an array of adaptable looping soundscapes that could layer in any order.
We worked with the suppliers of the speakers to get the placement and sound quality just right. We developed custom lighting fixtures for the flowers.
All of this came together with three pieces of software and many hours of coding.

Additional Information

Speakers: @leonspeakers Lights: @environmentallights Structural engineer: @yetiroot Audio Wizard: @sanjotaskery Lighting Wizard: @dnenola Coding and Integration Wizard: @rogersiver Proposal rendering: @nk.lc Composers: @mattaguiluz @mattskreet @thecottonfortress @jametatone Curious Form fabrication team: @plutonium_rocks @8am8oo8loomin @addi.Ginsberg @joey_tomshe #jayciemacdonald @zrbuck @ellen.bull @tony.fuerte.94 @evananthonyhartmann @this.effin.guy.ovah.here Plasma Cutting petal brackets: @workhaus.build Waterjet and plasma cutting leaves: Louisiana Cutting Galvanizing: AZZ Galvanizing Laser and folding: Alliance Laser Pipe Bending: Hooley Inc