Public Art
Interactive Sculpture for the
City of Albuquerque
Rail Trail Project
From October to December of 2023 I took part in a 10 week long, immersive, intensive IoT class through CNM ingenuity to learn rapid prototyping for the city of Albuquerque's Rail Trail project. At the conclusion of the class I made a prototype interactive, wire mesh sculpture. Then I made a larger version, with more features, to display at Gallery One in Albuquerque City Hall in May 2024.
Prototype sensory sculpture with shadow
Sensory sculpture inside GalleryOne
Both the sculpture and the prototype were designed around a calming technique called the 5-4-3-2-1 method; in it, you look for five things that you can see, four things you can feel, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste, aligning you in the present moment and releasing anxiety and tension.
The sculpture functions automatically from start to finish with the press of a button or at the user's pace by scanning a QR code. The QR code guides people to a page on my website that controls the sculpture. Alternatively, there is a printed set of instructions and a button to do the exercise without a smartphone or tablet. The website guides people through the practice, engaging parts of the sculpture for different sections; the visual aspect of the training uses cast pearlescent epoxy shapes lit with colored lights. The touch section asks that the user touch the sculpture, focusing on the piece's textures, temperatures, and other physical aspects.
The sound comes from a mini-MP3 player and speaker. The scent section uses atomizers to diffuse the scents into the air. Finally, the taste element comes from a dispenser full of small candies.This is the second prototype, a larger version than the first, and it includes all the technique's steps.
Sensory sculpture inside GalleryOne
Sensory sculpture inside GalleryOne
