In responding to this brief, the project proposes a striking and profoundly simple signature artwork to reside at the heart of the Monash Caulfield campus. Horizons: Near and Far (working title Horizons) is a very large animated interactive LED circle that occupies the gridded façade of Building H overlooking the campus green.
The circle is expressive of themes of centrality, unity and globality. The proposed circle is an entirely responsive work – it draws on the team’s interest in artworks that simultaneously produce and are produced by a context in an interwoven relationship. Like a cloud, it is precipitated by circumstances, and it precipitates- in a resonant cycle with no beginning or end.
In this case the work looks at and responds to both the near horizon and the distant horizon.
The work uses programmable LED technology combined with parametric software to produce effects of resonance and reactivity to these two contexts. It brings the local and global together into the one (circular) space of awareness.
The Near Horizon
Near and Far, an interactive art installation on Caulfield Green, engages audiences by responding to their movements with dynamic color rhythms. The more the green is used, the more responsive Horizons becomes. Activated by audience engagement with the Gothe-Snape work, it thrives on collective cooperation, producing vibrant color configurations and text on its circular surface. Emphasizing themes of care, community, solidarity, and love, the artwork complements the Gothe-Snape piece. Audience participation is organic, with no overt instructions; spectators discover the Blueprint-Horizons relationship through experience. As the university community grasps this connection, increased engagement and interaction are anticipated, with new student cohorts continually reactivating the discovery, creating an evolving experience for each generation. Horizons represents the possibility beyond the daily struggles depicted in Blueprint, offering a rewarding means of collective exploration and reinvention.
The Far Horizon:
The installation listens and responds to data from worldwide meteorological sources, including the Bureau of Meteorology and the World Weather Network. Periodically, live headlines and dynamic light configurations on the circular LED face reflect global planetary temperatures and current climate developments. Equipped with its own weather station, Horizons integrates meteorological sensing equipment with illumination visible from Monash Green. Utilizing LED technology and parametric software, the composition’s responsiveness relies on audience activity, camera and movement sensors, and global meteorological data. The 6-pitch LED ensures visibility day and night, housed in a transparent casing affixed to Building H for interior and exterior visibility. Structural engineering considerations guarantee safe attachment, featuring a weather-resistant 26m diameter circular structure fabricated in modular units with bespoke attachments. The transparent casing, made of powder-coated aluminum, facilitates light visibility from both front and rear. The installation’s installation necessitates clear access for crane and lifting equipment.
My roles in this project include design mockup and digital visualisation, developing interactive/ motion sensor artwork based on technology such as Touch Designer and Arduino.
Project Team
Lighting Artist: Leslie Eastman
Digital and visualisation Artist: Anh Tran
Technical Designer: Yuanlong (Tiger) Zheng