S.W.E.L.L.
After architects design spaces, people breathe life into them by occupying them.
This installation amplifies this relationship between people and the spaces they occupy.
In [s.w.e.l.l.], the structure is rendered a site of continuous exchange. The location (and weight) of each visitor changes the shape of the space itself, and the movement of people within can even cause the structure to propel itself.
The exterior shell is an open, expandable, and malleable frame that is secured with adjustable interior cables. Strung to the interior is a walking surface that regulates how the live loads are applied to the structure. In addition, fabric tubes run across the space within, both breaking up the larger volume and offering surfaces to catch projections.
Movement of people within the space is not only integral to the movement of the structure but also to the movement of the projection screens. As the walking surface is weighted, the fabric tubes elongate and become narrower. As people pass through the stretched screens they become an integral part of a changing projection surface.
The work is particularly engaged in two areas of exploration: 1) issues of construction, and 2) issues of experience. The work celebrates a synergy within these two areas.
The issues of construction that are being explored include:
1. an expandable and malleable frame structure
2. connections able to rotate in more than one direction
3. a system of support cables/springs to restrain movement of structure
4. surfaces that change in density (projection screens)
The issues of experience that are being explored are:
1. user responsive physical structure/spatial arrangement
2. user-responsive moving projection surfaces
3. three-dimensional, fragmented projection surfaces that catch projections at different distances from the source. Users can occupy the spaces between the screens and become a screen themselves.
