Posted on December 7, 2009 by Terri Peters
Categories: Architecture, Events, Green design
For an exhibition tied to this month's United Nations Climate Conference in Copenhagen, Canadian architect Philip Beesley created a room-sized work of "living" sculpture.
Last summer, Toronto-based Philip Beesley traveled to Denmark to collaborate with Mette Ramsgard Thomsen of the Centre for IT and Architecture on a kinetic, immersive environment that combines techniques from computing, concepts from cybernetics and architectural design. The result, an installation called Sargasso Field, is part of an exhibition on climate and architecture that also features work by Swiss architect Philippe Rahm.
Sargasso Field was assembled by a group of mainly Canadian and Danish students, who learned basic computer programming and rapid prototyping techniques as well as patience, because the tens of thousands of mass customized components were assembled by hand. The installation features natural vinegar batteries for energy generation, a system of sensors and responsive elements for tracking visitor movements, and an upper layer of Perspex “air muscles” that flex and create a ripple movement through the project.
Beesley, known for his experimental "living" architecture, is interested in challenging the conventional notions of one-way response and energy flow of resources from humans to buildings. Moved as he is to create "a new ethic of exchange between buildings and their environments", Beesley's work suggests a new aesthetic for sustainability.
With collaborator Rob Gorbet, Beesley also worked on the recently award-winning Hylozoic Soil at VIDA in Madrid.
Part of the COP15 Climate Summit (December 7-18), Sargasso Field is on at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts School of Architecture until 20 December.