DESIGN NAME: Pinnannousu
PRIMARY FUNCTION: Robotic Ice Sculpture Performance
INSPIRATION: I use advanced technologies to design bespoke experiences, in this case industrial robot and computational design. The aesthetics and the urgent metaphorical meaning of melting ice embodies the qualities I wanted to communicate with the work. I try to celebrate the beauty of nature, but also the human ingenuity in art that makes people think. The spectacular high tech performance, and the resulting melting sculpture should stop us to think where we stand together in facing the near future.
UNIQUE PROPERTIES / PROJECT DESCRIPTION: A slowly melting sculpture performance, where an industrial robot carves a large ice block to a computational lens that refracts spotlight to graphics on the wall, spelling “+2℃”, an ominous warning of global temperature rise. The artwork juxtaposes the high tech optimism with transient global challenges that know no bounds. The intervention only speeds up the process.
OPERATION / FLOW / INTERACTION: The artwork unfolds in two stages: First, a robotic performance carves the block of ice, occasionally illuminating the block from different angles with the flashlight. After completion, the block slowly melts, and is captured with a timelapse camera.
PROJECT DURATION AND LOCATION: The project was developed and exhibited at Sapporo International Art Festival between January 20 and February 11 in the Snow Storage of the Glass Pyramid at Moerenuma Park, Sapporo, Japan.
FITS BEST INTO CATEGORY: Fine Arts and Art Installation Design
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PRODUCTION / REALIZATION TECHNOLOGY: An industrial robot equipped with a drill and a flashlight alternates between carving the ice block and illuminating it from different angles. The target geometry for the CNC milling is design algorithmically so that when the spotlight is placed on a specific location, the ice refracts lightrays to a predefined caustic image: “+2℃” on the wall. A timelapse camera records the few weeks of melting, and the slowly unfolding morph.
SPECIFICATIONS / TECHNICAL PROPERTIES: Universal Robots UR5 robotic arm
High power LED flashlights
100 x 50 x 25 cm clear ice blocks.
Raspberry pi 5 timelapse capture and projection display.
TAGS: performance, computational design, robotics, new media, caustics, sculpture
RESEARCH ABSTRACT: Where the intent of the artwork was to leverage the innate qualities of melting ice as the messenger, it was challenging to find a balance between the "idealised" use of technology with this amorphous material. The computational design of the lens geometry expects perfect planar surfaces, but melting ice is never planar, and the carved surface keeps changing. Loosing control, and embracing the accidental lead to the elegant result.
CHALLENGE: Where the artwork was inherently a physical and material process, the team was distributed across the world. Working virtually with experimental physical research posed a major challenge. Also, when the work was unfolding, capturing it on film was also a challenge: every moment was unique, and there was no way of replaying anything due to the living material.
ADDED DATE: 2024-02-23 20:46:24
TEAM MEMBERS (1) :
IMAGE CREDITS: IMAGE CREDITS:
Image #1: ©Sapporo International Art Festival 2024, Photo by KUSUMI Erika
Image #2: ©Sapporo International Art Festival 2024, Photo by KUSUMI Erika
Image #3: ©Sapporo International Art Festival 2024, Photo by KUSUMI Erika
Image #4: ©Sapporo International Art Festival 2024, Photo by KUSUMI Erika
Image #5: ©Sapporo International Art Festival 2024, Photo by KUSUMI Erika
Video Credits: ©Sapporo International Art Festival 2024,
PATENTS/COPYRIGHTS:
Computational Caustics: Rayform & EPFL Geometric Computing Laboratory
Robotics: AATB
Technical Planning: Arsaffix
Supported by: Sapporo International Art Festival 2024
Research support: Part of the research Project “A Third Hand – Creative Applications for Robotics”, ECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne, Switzerland
Funding Support: ProHelvetia
Ice Field recording: Jonna Jinton
PATENTS/COPYRIGHTS: Computational Caustics: Rayform & EPFL Geometric Computing Laboratory
Robotics: AATB
Technical Planning: Arsaffix
Supported by: Sapporo International Art Festival 2024
Research support: Part of the research Project “A Third Hand – Creative Applications for Robotics”, ECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne, Switzerland
Funding Support: ProHelvetia
Ice Field recording: Jonna Jinton
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