Beneath the Surface Blog

Tomorrow is the summer solstice and what better way to celebrate than to feature a project that harnesses the energy of the sun! The beautiful coastal town of Zadar, Croatia comes to life at sunset via the Sun Salutation piece, a public art installation by Croatian architect Nikola Bašić.

This "circle of light" consists of 300 photovoltaic solar cells installed beneath glass panels to create a dynamic flooring landscape at the water’s edge. The LEDs shift colors and patterns to create a spectacular show that mimics the rhythm of the waves, a breathtaking scene in the evening light.

The installation also moves to the sounds of an oceanic musical instrument, the Sea Organ, which was also designed by Bašić. The Sea Organ is built into marble stairs at the edge of the water which emit whale-like noises when waves crash into the marble.

In conjunction with the Sun Salutation piece, Bašić merges the open frontier of the sea with the urban public space. Installed in 2005 after the renovation of the city’s shore front, Sun Salutation produces enough energy to be used for the installation, as well as for the lighting of the entire waterfront.

The Sun Salutation is a unique example of modern technologies coexisting with the natural landscape to create a sense of tranquility and peace, following both the ebb and flow of the ocean and implementing renewable energy sources in an urban context.

As we celebrate the onset of summer, what are you doing to salute the sun?

Image credits: My Modern Met

The Cleveland Museum of Art has a new interactive gallery that combines art and technology to encourage visitors to explore the museum’s permanent collection. This new feature in Cleveland is a source of great excitement here at GPI Design, not only for its use of LED technology, but for its forward-thinking approach to redefining the museum experience.

This innovative gallery space features the “Collection Wall”, the largest multi-touch micro-tile screen in the United States, which presents images of over 3,500 items from the museum’s collection. This 5x40-foot interactive wall features a 23-million pixel display that changes every 40 seconds, grouping works by theme and type (such as time period, materials and techniques) as well as curated views of the collection.

The technology facilitates discovery and dialogue with other visitors and can serve as an orientation experience, allowing visitors to download existing tours or create their own. Multiple users can interact with the wall, simultaneously opening as many as twenty separate interfaces, making sure everyone can explore together.

As visitors depart from the Collection Wall to walk through the museum, a specially designed iPad app called Artlens serves as an interactive map.  Intended destinations can be chosen at the main Collection Wall and the iPad will guide you to that specific work within the museum.  As you approach each work, indoor geo-triangulation software opens new content within the app, empowering each visitor to connect the collection in a unique way, and creating a more powerful, personal experience.

Every 10 minutes, an application content management system updates the "Collection Wall" with high-resolution artwork images, metadata, and the frequency with which each artwork has been “favorited” on the wall and from within the ArtLens iPad app. These activity metrics enable museum staff to understand what artworks visitors are engaging with, creating a feedback loop within the museum.

As technology and social media become the main tools for sharing content and expressing individuality, we salute the Cleveland Museum of Art for grasping those trends and transforming not only a feature wall, but the entire museum experience.

French photographer and graphic designer Romain Jacquet-Lagreze shines with a new collection of photographs entitled “Vertical Horizon.” The photos presents readers an interesting visual survey of the architecture within Hong Kong’s ever growing urban landscape, viewing skyscrapers, tunnels and interiors from the bottommost perspective.

"When I arrived, I had this same feeling of being surrounded, like I was walking through another kind of forest," Romain Jacquet-Lagreze recalls. "So naturally I started to look up and saw the buildings from another angle. I found it interesting so I started to shoot a few photos like this. Then little by little I grew fonder of it and I decided to work more seriously on an extensive series to cover most of the district in Hong Kong."

The visuals are truly striking and serves as a reminder that you never know what kind of inspiration you can draw by just looking to the skies.  Cities are dynamic environments that expand in all three dimensions; today we salute Jacquet-Lagreze's reminders for us to look up and celebrate that verticality.

Photo credits: Fastco Design

To present Mayan civilization in a dynamic audio and visual medium, an interactive media installation at the recently constructed Gran Museo del Mundo Maya conveys cultural developments over time. The goal of the exhibit was to represent the Mayan diaspora not as archaeological vestiges, but as a living culture that exists today. Given this focus, video painting and multimedia technology have been blended to evoke Mayan culture in an animated narrative that spans from the birth of our planet, through the history of mankind, to the emergence of contemporary societies today.

The Gran Museo del Mundo Maya building itself, designed by Mexican based firm Grupo Arquidecture (formerly 4A Arquitectos), was designed around Mayan beliefs as opposed to contemporary aesthetic principles. The program was based on the ‘Ceiba’ plant, a sacred tree in Mayan culture. The structure prominently features an oval mass hoisted high above the ground wrapped in green-tinted facade elements that represent the foliage spreading out, protecting and shading the functions underneath.

The exterior of the museum showcases a presentation of images the in the form of an animated fresco on the exterior of the museum. This interactive piece, created in collaboration between video painter Xavier de Richemont and multimedia lighting design firm XYZ Technologie Culturelle, is accompanied by an audio track of ancient and modern sounds. “XYZ’s multimedia installation offers visitors a chance to literally immerse themselves in this symbolic narrative. Sixteen high-definition projectors animate the upper part of the museum façade with a virtual strip that unfurls 34 giant tableaus composed of drawings, photographs, and graphic compositions by de Richemont. A long-range sound system, integrated into the building’s architecture, broadcasts the show’s music throughout the site,” according to Contemporist.

As designers strive to connect buildings to unique contexts and cultures, this project inspires the use of emerging technologies to express those histories. We salute this intersection between modern lighting design, art, and architecture to achieve a rich narrative expression!

Image credits: Contemporist

It was once said by a famous comic book character that, “with great power, comes great responsibility” and as modern humans in the living in the 21st century we’ve never had such unprecedented power to change our environment. With that power we need to be very cognisant of the effects we’re having on our planet… enter United Visual Artists.

The installation High Arctic was born from a collaboration between United Visual Artists and London’s National Maritime Museum. The two groups aim to bring awareness to a pressing issue that we all face, climate change and the diminishing Arctic ice caps. Many scientists and climatologist predicts, based on the results of supercomputers’ algorithmic data, that by the end of this century the Arctic ice will be completely melted. This kind of drastic change will have devastating effects on the planet such as, extinction of species like the Polar Bear, rising sea levels which could inundate low lying coastal areas, and create more erratic weather patterns due to the infusion of colder waters in the North Atlantic currents.

The exhibition takes place in London in a 130 x 56 foot room and is set in the theoretical year of 2100. In said room, there are 3,000 white pillars, each of which represents the over 2,500 glaciers that exists in the arctic archipelago currently. The space was designed to be immersive and give individuals a firsthand view of the damaging effects climate change is having on the planet. Visitors are given a special torch, a UV flashlight, that allows one to interact with the space. These flashlights trigger computer generated animations from 10 ceiling mounted cameras and 10 projectors as the individual navigates through the exhibition.

Also while in the space a poem is narrated about the 1,500 year history of the glaciers and about the impending demise within the next 80 years or so. “It is more of a sensory, emotional space — something that is more of a playful, musical, visual experience rather than just being a lecture,” said Ash Nehru, Software Director and Co-Founder. The entire production is innovative in that it combines modern software and technologies like motion tracking with timeless methods of narration such as poetry and music. The experience that really makes us stop to ponder the human effects on the environment.

Image credits: Design Boom

Having a healthy fascination with the stars as most people do, we always find it interesting when artists attempt to bring these unique celestial forms to earth. This installation is especially eye-catching to the GPI Design team for its use of backlit metal.

Designed by Erich Remash, Jeremy Berglund, Don Peterson and Chad Ingle, Starlight is a sculptural installation exhibited at Burning Man, an annual art event and temporary community in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada that is based on radical self-expression and self-reliance.

Seven 12-foot diameter plywood ‘stars’ were created and placed in the configuration of the constellation Orion.  The grouping was meant to delineate a specific space in the vast and overwhelming Black Rock Desert. Aesthetically pleasing at both night and day, the installation breaks up the vacant landscape and creates a sense of curiosity for those who see it from a distance.

Each star has a unique lighting pattern that interacts with the landscape at night, resulting in a ‘heaven on earth’ appearance.  In considering the aesthetics, lighting patterns, site context, placement, and fastening of each piece, the designers created a constellation of uniquely glowing stars. The patterning of these stars inspires us to look through some of our old pieces of onyx to see if we can find any celestial patterns that emerge when backlit!

Working with stone throughout our history at GPI has made us familiar with the wide variety of marble applications in the design industry. Besides the translucent characteristics of some stones when sliced into thin sheets - giving us the ability to backlight - the creative manipulation of stone continues to surprise designers. Kjetil Thorsen, an architect at the Norwegian firm Snohetta, has created a project meant to show just how adaptable marble really is.

As part of a showcase entitled Mutable Spirit, Thorsen’s display The Antipodes of the Lithosphere was commissioned for an Italian stone company. The installation "expresses the versatility of marble through panels which are composed of an arrangement of stone cylinders stacked to form a wall". The alignment of these cylinders and their solid-void relationship allows for an obstructed view of the wall's opposing side and interesting light patterns. Texture and visual delicacy is given to the marble object that would traditionally be perceived as smooth and heavy.

The project was displayed in Italy at Marmomacc, an international trade fair for operators working in the marble sector. The event showcases various types of complex stone processing and is a venue in which to highlight the natural stone materials and its inherent characteristics and potential applications.

We are particularly drawn to this installation for its deep consideration of what the designer refers to as the “genetic code” within stone material. While the wall partitions constitute a large volume of space, evoking images of marble in its quarried block for, the mass is punctuated by peeks through the cylindrical forms.

By keeping the relatable form but executing with this unexpected detailing method, Thorsen draws a close tie to the roots of the marble formation and elevates the possibilities of fabrication. For these meaningful design moves, today we salute Kjetil Thorsen for her insightful marble design!

Image Credits: Design Boom, Domus Web

The GPI Design team is always interested in creative uses of LED panels, especially when paired with innovative lighting controls. This installation is no exception. The lighting accents in this art installation show that lighting, however understated, can change the experience of installations and artwork throughout the day, creating a welcoming glow in the evening and invigorating a streetscape.

Daily Tous Les Jours, a design collaborative in Montreal, Canada, produced ’21 balancires’ for the 2013 biennale international design fair in Sainte-Etienne. This public installation was available for use in the Quartier Des Spectacles, a high-traffic area in Montreal. Twenty-one swings trigger individual notes while in use and the installation is meant to “explore the notion of collaboration and the positive outcomes which can be a result of working together”, according to the designers.

As users begin to swing in tandem, melodies occur according to which swings are in use and the rate at which users swing. As dusk approaches, the swings illuminate to heighten the sensory experience of its users. The ‘EmpathiCITY, making our city together’ exhibition “investigates the biennale’s theme of empathy… articulated through a series of urban interventions which turn the streets into a domain for democratic expression”, remarked an official.

“The installation offers a fresh look a the idea of cooperation – the notion that we can achieve more together than alone.” -- Tous Les Jours and Luc-Alain Giraldeau, a professor at the Université du Québec à Montréal’s Science Faculty.

The motivation behind this wonderful installation is both emotional and inspiring. We would love to see a permanent installation like this somewhere in our area so that we could take "musical breaks"!

Image credits: Design Boom

Rarely in today’s times do people get a chance to see the stars. Whether it be from city light pollution or simply a lack of time, it’s not often that we gaze into the night sky and peer into the grand play that is the universe. The "Cosmos" lighting simulation by Leo Villareal may not encapsulate the entire universe but it does give us the opportunity to see what’s out there.

The interactive lighting installation, located at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University, was constructed to pay homage to the university’s late astronomy professor Carl Sagan. Composed of over 12,000 LED’s wired in a grid, Villareal programmed the exhibit to display the heaven’s illumination patterns. The software, created by Villareal himself, generates various shapes and forms to create a very unique light show. “It is especially exciting to view the installation at nighttime, when the patterns of light make the ceiling disappear and turn it into a void—light trumping matter,” said Andrea Inselmann, curator of modern and contemporary art at the Johnson Museum.

A zero gravity bench, 25 feet long, was designed by the artist for viewers to fully immerse themselves in the experience and to facilitate a more communal involvement with the installation. “The challenge for me is to find a way to do it that respects what’s here but that adds another layer that can really invigorate the building and make people look at it in a new way.” Said Villareal. The installation measures in at 45’ x 68’ and is mounted on a high ceiling of the Sherry and Joel Mallin Sculpture Court to provide pedestrians clear visibility to observe from below.

The initial development of the exhibition began almost three years ago in November of 2010 when Villareal, along with project architect Walter Smith, AIA LEED AP, and donors Lisa and Richard Baker, collaborated with the Johnson Museum to find a suitable location for the installation. “It’s almost like a musical instrument that you have to tune and get just right,” said the artist. “It’s a process of discovery, because I don’t know in advance what it’s going to be.”  In this case, does context create originality?

As lovers of translucent surfaces and progressive design, the word “porcelain” does not often weave its way into conversations here at GPI. Porcelain surfaces traditionally evoke residential powder rooms, a series of neatly laid tiles that are constrained to right angles and square shapes. So we were pleasantly stunned to find the Pulsate project, in which architects reinvigorate the design possibilities of porcelain surfaces.

For the Capital Designer Studio tile showroom in London, architects Lily Jencks and Nathanael Dorent used a repetitive geometry of porcelain tiles to clad every plane in the space. Using only four color shades of tile (and all in the same size), perspective and layout are strategically manipulated to create a truly dynamic composition. With a sloped floor and built in benches, the images of the Pulsate installation only begin to touch on the experience of actually traversing through the space.

As Jencks explain the design concepts at play, “One is about perception - how you perceive distances and shapes; and make sense of space. The other is about how to display an object that's for sale; we wanted the space to be more than just a showroom selling tiles; to rethink the commercial transaction as something more creative."

We can sympathize with the attention to detail required to properly show off these tiles, the substructure is invisible but certainly had to be completely precise in order for the surface installation to function.  Not to mention the conceptual marketing strategy by Capital Designer Studio, they certainly found a way to redefine their material.

A true testament to the pop-up design trends, the installation is launching today and will remain at the showroom through December 2013.  Today, we can salute porcelain material for its unexpected flair!  Have any Londoners visited the installation yet? Can anyone describe the experience of walking through the space?

Image credits: Dezeen