Client: Private

Overview

Optik is an interactive installation that reflects on our ability to play with our surroundings while giving the opportunity for brand new point of views on our daily environment. It provides a unique platform for users to manipulate at free will how they want to see the world.
The 6 feet gyroscope-like forms with, at the center, a dichroic film, offer new ever-changing opportunities that reflect any ray of lights during the day while refracting the inner rings lighting at dusk. As the audience rotates each unit, they create their own endless cascade of colors. The experience is raised to another level as sound joins on the rhythmical effort, turning each unit into a different musical instrument. As the work is rotated a different note is played at every fifteen degree rotation. Through movement and reflection of light, each of these colorful units encourages the public to engage with another unit and other people within the space, sparking spontaneous conversations, dance parties, jam sessions, light shows, and to finally see each and everyone’s true color.
Optik transports people away from their daily routine and into a state of play; it is no longer just a photogenic monument within a space and becomes a communal hub for social connection.

Goals

Often play is seen isolated within a specific space for a specific group. While creating and producing Optik, the team wanted to break this narrative by providing open-ended play opportunities for all demographics within everyday spaces, all around the world. Optik is a series of ever-changing landmarks that allow the user to put their identity onto the work, the space, and surrounding context. Optik, utilizes its playable design to spark spontaneous social connection between strangers creating a stronger sense of community within once underutilized spaces. Optik showcases the value of play within our everyday spaces and how it can be utilized to create more inclusive, social, and equitable spaces and places.

Process

The Urban Conga is a multidisciplinary design studio focused on sparking community interaction and social activity through open ended play. Their work explores the idea of working with communities to create more playable cities as an ecosystem of inclusive multiscale playable opportunities intertwined with our existing urban fabric.

After successfully collaborating with Creos for touring their interactive installation Oscillation, and having this concept they have wanted to see conceived for a while, they partnered with Creos & Init to help make this happen.

Collaborating with the creators to make sure their vision was respected, Init’s role was to give life to the concept. Combining innovation and expertise, Init, with many partners (MecaFab Inc., Serge Maheu, …), created and produced Optik, an installation that answers the higher quality standards. Making sure that the interactive installation would also be tourable.

Creos' mission is to make Optik travels all around the world in order to democratize the interactive artwork.
As the world leading agency for tourable public interactive installations in urban spaces, Creos can count OPTIK as a perfect addition to the existing portfolio available for all public space managers that are eager to present art in a whole new form.

Additional Information

All three partners really understand the mission of utilizing play within everyday spaces to create more inclusive and equitable spaces and places.