SHIFTING TERRAIN: INTERACTIVE SURFACE

Interface is defined as a common boundary, boundary between things, boundary across which data passes, a point of interaction, linking software, or linking device. Interface could also be a place, situation, or a way across which things or people act together and affect each other. 

The “Shifting Terrain” project explores a notion of an urban interface, through a responsive surface activated by an inquisitive observer/passerby. The undulating surface is made of strips of veneer that form a regularly patterned field. When stimulated by sensory input, the field shifts animating the surface. Sensors attached to the window glass entice the viewer to touch them, registering the change in light intensity and triggering the movement of the surface. This installation links art, design, technology, and public realm. Its goal is to engage the public by providing an alternative, interactive interface between the street and the interior of the building. The broader goal of the project is to explore the role of the responsive surfaces in architecture and to challenge an assumption that buildings are stable and inactive. The project is situated within the conceptual filed of responsive architecture, mechatronics and embedded responsiveness. 

|Design Research | 2010 | Exhibited at OPEN SPACES: Window to a View, City of Calgary public art program |

| Primary Investigator: Vera Parlac |

| Research Assistants: Brett Osness, Mike Kryski |