- Russia-based studio VOLNA designs ‘Reeds’, A Kinetic Light Installation
- With unique aerodynamic design and 3d-printing technology, Reeds create an effect of flickering light reacting to air currents.
- Designers:
- VOLNA
- Images: VOLNA
Inspired by reeds growing by the water and the unique sounds they make in the wind, VOLNA’s ‘Reeds’ has thin technological ‘stems’ and kinetic ‘inflorescences’. Reacting to the air currents, the installation creates an effect of flickering light. Located right beside the water at the K-30 club promenade, the installation lets the viewers experience a futuristic wilderness by the Neva River.
Starting with the abstract idea of creating light elements that would stand above the water, while blending in with the surrounding landscape, the coastal cattail became the basis of the installation, due to its inflorescences’ familiar but unique shape. VOLNA further explored to expand upon its natural kinetic potential and the visual light effect it creates.
Using a unique aerodynamic design for the installation’s turbines, VOLNA was able to figure out a way to visualize the reed’s wind currents and utilize them. Using 3D-printing technology, they were able to rapidly prototype each module and find the most effective design after running different simulations for turbine aerodynamics using real prototypes. The “inflorescence” of each “reed” consists of 8 mechanical elements that are entirely 3D-printed. This allowed the team to create lightweight mechanisms that are easy to assemble and maintain; factors that are crucial for complex outdoor artwork. This self-sustaining approach allowed the studio to reduce the design’s ecological impact during the production process.
“We understand technology as a part of nature: the behavior of materials and processes determined by the laws of nature and combined with human will. In our art practice, this is not a source of conflict since for us working with technology means learning from nature.”
VOLNA
Product Images
Product Details
Concept and production: VOLNA
Technical support: 2A Production
Photo and video: VOLNA
Commissioned by Roots United
© VOLNA (2021)
