A piece of art at Dalhousie University in Halifax is turning heads, not only because of it’s beauty, but because it moves.
The installation, called Patch, was designed by a PhD computer science student who also happens to have a fine arts degree.
“I’m trying to create an artwork that will surprise even me as an artist, in ways that I don’t necessarily intend,” says artist Stephen Kelly. “We wanted to give an idea or an impressionistic display of what’s going on in the building.”
Inspired by the building’s internal smart technology, Patch reflects its environment in real time.
“You could look at this for a long time,” says student Heidi Richardson. “Yeah, I could just stay up here and stare at it.”
“I haven't seen anything quite like it. It's something that is innovative and new,” says student Curtis Gamble.
Peter Dykhuis, director of the Dalhousie Arts Gallery, has been part of the project since it first started three years ago.
“This is actually reflecting what's happening in the building. The building is alive with people and what that bioloop's about,” says Dykhuis.
There are hundreds of sensors throughout the building that send information to a central computer and binary code translates that information to motion and colour.
“As the classrooms fill up with more students, you'll see more movement in relation to the amount of CO2 in the classrooms,” says Kelly. “The colours of the pieces change with the amount of water consumption in the building.”
Named to represent connecting computer code and a patch of grass, Kelly fuses artificial intelligence and art.
“It surprises me every day when I come in,” says Kelly. “I really get a lot out of people stopping and hearing and talking about it.”
With files from CTV Atlantic's Felicia Yap
