For the eventually-cancelled SXSW 2020, I served the Vita Motus team as lead designer, sound designer, and 3D-print specialist on an infinity room themed around the aesthetic of Aurora Borealis. All scenic within the space was fully 3D printed complete with touch interactivity, lighting, and reactive sound.

The canopy design was achieved through algorithmic modeling processes, producing a hollow cellular network printed by a 6-axis robotic arm. The vertical “tree trunks” were printed in house on our printer farm, diffusing the light beautifully due to an innovative rippled extrusion technique developed in prototyping. The interactive touch pads were printed with conductive PLA.

The Aurora exhibits a 3-part, audio-visual narrative, from 1) an ominous, bioluminescent midnight rustling with creature voices and meditative tones, to 2) an uplifting magenta dawn carried by harps and bird song, climaxing with 3) an undulating red orange sunset growing stronger until it is absorbed by the night and the narrative repeats itself. These moods are the times of day the Aurora is visible.

Closely collaborating with Enjoyable Engineering, we implemented addressable LEDs, light fixtures, and capacitive touch interactivity into the design, complementary to the narrative and user experience. Uniting TouchDesigner and Ableton in real-time allowed us to harmonize interactivity, sound, and visuals into a seamless user experience.