Client: Iregular

Overview

Games are metaphors for life. They teach us about success, failure, learning from mistakes, working with others, discipline and rigor. When we were set to create a piece inspired by the power of play, we were impelled to explore that invisible force that pervades all game experiences: luck.

As if tossed by a giant, DICE is a large-scale interactive sculpture comprising five white cubes floating on the Arizona canal. This five-part experience invites up to 60 visitors of the Canal Convergence Festival to simultaneously play with their own shadows.

Cameras placed in front and behind each cube track human bodies and turn them into projections of shadows that are drawn and redrawn by people’s unpredictable movement. This combined with random generative software creates infinitely different living artworks that are never the same.

Goals

DICE is a true example of how we can integrate a specific theme into the very conception of an artwork all while keeping our distinctive style. The 2023 Canal Convergence Festival, themed around the Power of Play, provided ample space for creativity and imagination, all unified under a central topic.

We were able to swiftly come up with our concept, as the square geometric image of several dice really spoke to our general aesthetic at Iregular. The idea harmonized so seamlessly with the theme, that it earned DICE a spot among the festival’s main attractions.

Process

We went bold with our pitch, and imagined giant interactive cubes floating over the canal. Determined to bring this ambitious concept to life, the client's unwavering support eliminated the need for compromises; Extensive collaboration, research and development, budget reworks, and a true partnership between both parties enabled the realization of our vision.

The result was the largest and most audacious structural commission project in our studio's history—floating on the Arizona Canal! Over the course of ten days, thousands of people engaged with the ever-changing artwork, connecting by interacting from both sides of the water. What initially appeared as an overly ambitious endeavor came to fruition through a harmonious blend of artistic vision, creative theme, and client dedication.