projects

The Plastisphere

2024

Various plastics, steel, LEDs, microcomputers, sensors, sound

with Gwen Law, Olivia Mackall, Martin Law

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The Plastisphere is an immersive, interactive art installation of an oceanic environment made from previously-used plastic and colored light. Using discarded materials and programmed sounds and lights that respond to the visitor’s presence, the piece shines a spotlight on marine pollution in an effort to re-engage our wonder in the natural world.

Sculptural features within this world include transformed plastic garbage lit by colorful lights controlled by microcomputers. Plastic sculptures emerge from faux oil spills that pool on the ground. Steel structures skinned with recovered plastics emerge from the floor and cantilever overhead. The walls are adorned with synthetic coral pods softly twinkling with lights. Plastic seaweed hangs throughout. A soft sculptured tentacled seating pod provides a place to rest and be immersed in the environment.

The custom LED programming consists of Images of plastic ocean garbage, sea creatures, corals, and space, which are mapped onto the sculptures. As an image scrolls across the piece, colors are pulled from individual pixels and displayed on lights embedded in the sculpture. Motion sensors react to a visitor’s presence, illustrating the interconnected relationships between people, plastic, and nature. An ambient wavescape soundtrack created from recordings of manipulating plastic completes the immersive experience.

Art Shanty Projects Design

2017-2018

Wood, paint, acrylic, paper.

I designed new branding for the Art Shanty Projects 2018 event. I used that to create some traditional things like posters, business cards, and buttons – as well as laser cut signage and survey for the on-ice event.

The interactive survey was designed to be simple and fun, to draw in more participants. Visitors were given wooden tokens to vote for their answer in the appropriate slot. It was highly successful and even had a line at times.

The Hole Formerly Known as the Longest Hole

18th Hole at Can Can Wonderland

Group project by: David Bryan, Laura Bryan, Cali Mastny, Caly McMorrow, Aaron Prust

Raspberry Pis, LEDs, HDPE plastic, sensors.

The 18th hole is part of an artist-designed mini golf course at Can Can Wonderland. It is a straight hole, over 200 feet long. We created 8 light poles with sensors mounted along the course, each controlled by a raspberry pi and networked together. They display a variety of light programs, and when a ball triggers a sensor, the light program will change.

Space Lounge Tunnel

v3.0: 2016, updated hardware in 2019

Steel, coroplast, plastic, LEDs, fadecandy, kinect, speakers, laptop.

With Caly McMorrow, Olivia Mackall

The tunnel is the entrance to the Space Lounge at a yearly science fiction convention. It can be setup as simple as a pretty entrance, or it can be an interactive experience, where people walk through, they are detected and lights and sound are triggered. The tunnel is controlled by a raspberry pi and distance sensor. The lights and sound can easily be changed to create different vibes – from a friendly welcoming entrance to a security scanner complete with alarms.

Elevator Shanty

2014

Exhibited:
Art Shanty Projects 2014 – White Bear Lake, MN
Northern Spark Festival 2014 – Minneapolis, MN

Elevator Shanty is a interactive elevator experience is a collaboration designed for Art Shanty Projects – a month-long outdoor winter art festival in the middle of a frozen lake. It was revived a second time for Northern Spark Art Festival.

It gives the appearance of a working elevator, complete with lights, buttons, vibrations, music and moving elevator doors – all controlled by an operator at a computer in the back room.

I was a part of teams working on designing, assembling, laser cutting control panels, programming, wiring, decorating, and user experience. During the festivals, I also ran the controls and interacted with the public as an elevator attendant.

Banana Piano

2012
Electronics, Bananas – Minneapolis, MN

A prototype of touch-sensitive technology soldered together entirely from individual components. Can be connected to anything that conducts electricity. By holding a ground wire and touching one of the bananas you can trigger a sound.

Monster Shanty

2012
Mixed materials
Exhibited: Art Shanty Projects 2012 – Minneapolis, MN

Monsters Under the Bed Shanty was a fantastic frozen-lake getaway under a giant bed with all the creature comforts. Over four weekends, visitors of every age enjoyed drawing monsters, listening to our house monster band, donning monster-garb, and operating monster paws and tentacles.

I was one of the core members of the team who designed, built, decorated and staffed the shanty.

monstershanty.wordpress.com

Tiny Shanty

2010
Mixed materials
Exhibited: Art Shanty Projects 2010 – Minneapolis, MN

The historic Tiny Shanty was a majestic three-story villa shrunk to child size in the middle of a frozen lake. Over four weekends, visitors of all sizes enjoyed their stay with activities including tiny tea service, petite poetry slam competitions, miniature movie night and tiny art-making. It culminated in a tiny fire arts festival with the burning of a tiny Paul Bunyan.

I was one of the core members of the team who designed, built, decorated and staffed the shanty.

tinyshanty.wordpress.com

Star Tree

2007
Steel, computer, electronics
Exhibited: Burning Man Art Festival – Black Rock City, NV

Star Tree was an interactive sound and light sculpture included in the festival centerpiece funded by the Burning Man Organization. The alien tree held light-up “stars” which would flicker and fade while visitors recorded an audio wish upon the 10-foot tall tree and listened to wishes played back randomly.

Deflation

2005
Balloons, computer, video
Exhibited: T-Minus Art Festival – New York City, NY

Large balloon sculpture and interactive time lapse collaboration with Aaron Prust. Over the run of the show, the sculpture deflated and visitors could interact with the time-lapse video through a computer monitor to move forward and back in time.