By Cassandra Pizzey / 23-09-2010

Currently premiering three works – of which we’ve already brought you Intimacy – Daan Roosegaarde tells us more about Lotus 7.0 which will be launched at Le Cube, Paris and Divine which is debuting in Enschede.

Lotus 7.0
Imagine a wall that moves as you walk past. That’s exactly what Lotus 7.0 is all about. The surface is made up of smart foils containing microchips that react to movement. As visitors pass the installation, a signal from the chips is sent to miniscule lamps within the wall. The heat of the lamps triggers the foil to open – much like a lotus – in an organic way. “Our previous artworks have researched the concept of ‘living walls’,” says Daan Roosegaarde. “But Lotus is the next level as it can physically unfold itself without using a mechanism.”

An artwork such as this does come with its challenges though, as Studio Roosegaarde needed to borrow the sensitive material from NASA. “We had to make sure all the technology worked well, without attracting too much attention to it,” he explains. Visitors certainly seem to like the work: “Some people use the heat of their breath to create the effect of motion which we thought was a great idea.”

Divine
Another work that will soon be in place is Divine, an interactive pavilion made out of recycled wood and smart materials. The installation was commissioned by Grenswerk Enschede and will be placed in the middle of a bicycle path, engaging passers-by on their way to work. The installation relies on a set of ‘blinds’ allowing it to transform from black to transparent, ‘creating an ever-changing dynamic field of light.’

The idea for the project is based on the Rietveld-Schroder House and its moving walls. Here, partitions can slide and rotate to create a dynamic living space. Roosegaarde applied the architects’ low-tech approach to the 22nd century resulting in Divine. “It allows people to feel part of, and literally show or hide elements of their landscape, in a playful way,” he says. When people walk around the pavilion, a smart material reacts to their movements, changing it from black to transparent. This allows them to see glimpses of either their own reflection, or the outside area. The pavilion will enable the senses of its visitors to personalize the architecture, via technology of course; “Mondriaan had his paint, Roosegaarde has its microchips!”

Photos courtesy of Studio Roosegaarde

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