take a virtual walk through the luminous garden

Take a Virtual WalkThrough the Luminous GardenAs ExperiencedAt Electric Sky June 2016

Photo by Leo Spizzirri

An art and tech weekend “campathon” -- an artists’ retreat and hackathon

A mix of artists, technologists, and makers In the woods, on the river, collaboratingLearn more at

http://ElectricSkyArtCamp.com

About Electric Sky

This year we organized our creative efforts around a group installation called “The Luminous Garden”

Our basic design framework was to provide an overarching experience “taking a walk in an otherworldy garden arboretum”

We then recruited others to take on elements of the installation while also participating in the larger collaboration

About the Luminous Garden


Event production and creative lead: Shelly Farnham

Design framework, infrastructure, and lighting: The art group Recreational Light and Magic (A Totally Legit LLC), including Jeff Larson, Shelly Farnham, Greg Larson, April Denton

Kitchen and group meal: Bevin Keely and Andy Tomacelli

Opening night bar and snacks: Indira Schlag Workshops: David Hull, Carey Christie, Jeremy

Kayes Interpretive Signs and Narrative: Jeremy

Kayes and Mary Hodder Photography: Leo Spizziri, Jole Sack Luminous Garden participants!

Special ThanksMade possible through the support of:


For those who could not attend Electric Sky in 2016, we created this “Virtual Walk” based on all the photos we took.

…..enjoy!

The Luminous GardenTake a walk through an otherworldly garden biosphere with luminous flora and fauna.

Imagine you have landed as tourists on an alien world, in an immersive extraterrestrial landscape.

As the sun sets on an interstellar, magically luminous garden, you will experience nature reconceived – with unpredictable flora, fauna, and architectural oddities that confound your earth-bound notions of nature.


Along your walk, the path is lit with colors.

Photo by Shelly Farnham

Illuminated interpretive signs are placed to tell you about what you are seeing.

Let’s get started!Photo by Jole Sack

The PortalJeff Larson, Shelly Farnham, and their Recreational Light and Magic crew

The entry gate to the Luminous Garden. This trans- dimensional gateway will accelerate your molecules to seven times the speed of light. If you are holding a beverage, maintain a firm grasp.


More About the Portal

Jeff Larson, Shelly Farnham, and their art group Recreational Light and Magic (a Totally Legit LLC) constructed the garden entry gate — the Portal — with responsive lighting that fluctuated to indicate the entry and exit of participants, and the number of people who are inside the garden. The goal was to help create the experience of walking into an otherworldly, immersive environment.

Materials include wood, fabric, projector, and controllable RGB lights.


Smooth Jazz Fountain

Jennifer Welge and Jencat

Plantlife of the Slatook Nebula is designed to pollinate through music. The relaxing sounds of water and Smooth Jazz encourage hominidsto dance from blossom to blossom. Photo by Leo Spizzirri

Photo by Jole Sack

More About the Smooth Jazz FountainMaterials include a trombone, a fountain, lighting, and smooth jazz.


AquaFleurChristopher Overstreet Abbey EnsonKolibri Enson-Overstreet Kevin NortnessChristina Jones

These aquatic flowers interact with hominid children on hot days of the firy planet Cinderchar IV. Pressing the mushroom caps will expel jets of water, but only the most clever know which bloom will squirt!


More About AquaFleurMaterials include fabric, rope light, water.

Photo by Jole Sack

You see on your walk, the trees themselves are works of art.

Photo by Jole Sack

Lit orbs along the path guide the way through the trees towards the riverPhoto by Jole Sack

Sensor Mote SwarmShelly Farnham & Greg Larson

A swarm of geometric,alien critters (“motes”) respond in lighting and sound to your presence. See if you can’t teach them to dance.

Photo by Shely Farnham

More About the Sensor Mote SwarmThe swarm included eight units, or “motes”, that communicated color state information to each other through wireless radio transceivers. Materials include vinyl, vellum, microcontrollers, radio transceivers, and neopixel RGB controllable lights.

Photo by Jole Sack

PolypAndy Tomacelli and Luke Swart

The sentient, gelatinous flora of planet Nort definitelydoes not speak, but in the unlikely event that it does, don’t believe anything it tells you. It’s ill adviced to argue with it, as it is known to place ideas in your head.


More About the PolypMaterials include thermal plastic and found objects.


Pixel River RocksBen Flaster

Alien seeds landed in the river 10,000 years ago, where they slowly grew into glowing rocks calibrated by the river flow, signaling to other seeds still in space.


More About Pixel River RocksRiver rocks as LEDS provide a visual plot of the intensity of the river. A motor attached to a fan powered by the river generates a voltage that causes the LED to illuminate depending on speed of the current.Materials include LEDs made from scratch, resin, fans.


Now the path turns, taking you away from the river and back up into the trees.


Lighter than AirBriar Bates

This plant uses rings of lights to lure hominids to relax in it’s comforting chair-like shape so it can resequence their DNA for pollination of it’s species.


More About Lighter than AirMaterials include acrylic plastic and LEDs.


Kids are Such PestsCarey Christie, Wilder Christie, Jeff Larson, and Workshop Pests

Don’t bug me!!! They appeared to be just kids in costume but actually they morphed into insects and bugs floating around in and out of the flora. Kids who can never return to their human state.

Photo by Jole Sack

See video at: https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=%21AGPhFpuWAKGrfN0&id=C3A564E995D34886%21374&cid=C3A564E995D34886

More About the “Kids are Such Pests”

While the grown ups were building an art garden, through a workshop the kids created a bunch of garden pests through simple technologies and costumes. They then “infected” the garden, and wrapped up their projects by creating movies.

Photo by Jole Sack

Bamboo Lanterns Lea Willingham

Come inside this traditional Japanese bamboo festival of lanterns – where the forest spirits glow, turning into fairies casting spells on the insects in the forest.

Photo by Jole Sack

Photo by Jole SackPhoto by Leo Spizzirri

More About Bamboo LanternsMaterials include bamboo and LEDs.


Now the path takes you back up hill into the kitchen. You stop for a drink “the Astral Confection” before continuing your garden walk.


Sunflower of SymmetryBryan Ressler

The seeds of the sunflower listen quietly and respond with light patterns. The patterns are used to manipulate mammilian minds.

Photo by Jole Sack

More About the Sunflower of SymmetryThe middle area is comprised of a circular disc of surface-mounted LEDs behind a diffuser, surrounded by handmade LDPE flower petals. A hidden computer projects symmetric animations on the sunflower that respond to the proximity presence of the viewer.


Popup ArcadeSeth Vincent, Luke Swart, and Christina Montilla

Technology and nature merged on the planet Yaphtorglam. These organic arcade machines connect young hominids to the pollination process. Luminous auditory moments breathe through the lush, mysterious arboretum.


More About the Popup ArcadeThis project explores the incongruity of familiar technologies in new environments. People “play” the game by looking at the screen, which causes the tree to grow.Materials include Google notebooks, bamboo and LEDs.

Photo by Jole Sack

Anemone TentacleDavid Hull

A creature at the edge of the sea, anchored in tidal pools and under docks. More plant than animal, it recoils and changes color at your curious and invasive touch. It may nibble your finger, or inject you with nanobots of tetrodotoxin. Considered mostly safe.

Photo by Jole Sack

More About Anemone TentacleThis interactive kinetic sculpture emulates the arms of sea Anemone, with large tentacles that react to the proximity of a viewer by curling and changing color. Materials include thin flexible steel armatures, a translucent “skin” material, motors, LED lights, and electronic sensors.


Awesome BlossomBetsy Morris

These cave dwelling flowers are found on all the planetsin the Neethroo system. Found on the walls of caves and dark moons, the lights of these luminous flowers are known to hypnotically compel mammals to yodel.


Photo by Jole Sack

More About the Awesome BlossomMaterials include fabric, LEDS.


ThunderheadNicole KistlerJosh Lind

“They watched in silence, and with them all the thousands in the streets and the towers of Diaspar, until the last cloud slowly faded from sight, sucked dry by the hot, parched air of the unending deserts.”

~ Arthur C. Clarke, Against the Fall of Night

Photo by Jole Sack


More About ThunderheadAn artificial cloud made with a thunder and lightning-like episodes created within the cloud. Materials include recycled plastic, LED lights, speakers.

InteractiveBeanstalkJoel Walters

The drum-like seed pods ofthis beanstalk are presented to invite humanoids to nurture the beanstalk with percussion. Drum on the pods to make the beanstalk grow.

Photo by Jole Sack

More About the Interactive BeanstalkThe beanstalk grew as people banged on the drum. Materials include parachute fabric, EL wire, yoga balls, motor, and.


Wind TunnelJole Sack

A section of a arboreal feed tube from the vine hives of planet Wobnok. Objects can hover in the kinetic transport zone. Mostly safe.

Photo by Jole Sack

Photo by Jole Sack

More About the Wind TunnelCreated to illustrate properties of various objects in the wind. People could insert whatever object they chose. Materials included wood, acrylic tube, fan.

Photo by Jole Sack

The path takes a final turn through the field, passing by some of the biggest projects in the garden.


Solar SunflowerBee Wilkerson & Ron Ellington

This very dangerous specimen is the master sunflower controlling all the other sunflowers. The solar petals follow the sun, but can be distracted by delicious small humans. Observe from a distance.

Photo by Shell Farnham

More About the Solar SunflowerA 500 Watt solar generator in the form of a flower with actuated petals follows the sun. Power generated during the day lights the flower at night. Materials include acrylic, arduinos, actuators, servos, RGB controllable lights.

Photo by Shelly Farnnham

Square of AirOxogenus Mop

Air transforms into carbon dioxide with each breath you take, but also this square of carbon dioxide transforms into air by each tree in the forest.


More About the Square of AirDesigned to convey that an art piece is as much in the concept as in the material. Materials include air.


ChameliobusShelly Farnham & Greg Larson

This alien creature forms a symbiotic relationship with humanoid travelers. Sinceit is hunted by predators eager to devour the delicious passengers, it resonates with the environments it traverses, altering its skin to blend in with its environment.


More AboutChameliobusPainting based in images taken in the area. Materials include house paint, bus.

You are HereSarah Fansler Lavin

A celestial coordinate system using laser light levels. The lasers are placed on the xand y axis creating a grouping of stars or constellations mimicking the night sky. One can see the planets and the milky way. The constellations will serve as a map for the “tourists just landing in the extraterrestrial world”.


More About You are HereThe grouping of lasers and stars mimic constellations in the night sky. Materials include Black and Decker laser light levels, LED lights, plywood sign.


Now you have reached the end of your walk in the Luminous Garden! Thanks for joining us.Continue to see more photos from Electric Sky 2016.


SCENES FROM

ELECTRIC SKY 2016

THE ENVIRONMENT

FieldPhoto by Shelly Farnham

River Photo by Shelly Farnham

ForestPhoto by Shelly Farnham

RainPhoto by Shelly Farnham

SunPhoto by Leo Spzzirri

THE CREATIVITY LAB

Meeting Photo by Leo Spizzirri

Coordinating Photo by Shelly Farnham

Making Photo by Leo Spizzirri

Making Photo by Shelly Farnham

Making a Mess Photo by Shelly Farnham

Projects in Progress Photo by Shelly Farnham

More Making

Photo by Shelly FarnhamPhoto by Shelly Farnham

ElectronicsPhoto by Shelly Farnham

Random Projects Photo by Leo Spizzirri

Projecting All Night Photo by Leo Spizzirri

WORKSHOPS

Wearable Arduinos


2D Cutters


Kids are Such Pests


Cartooning


CNC RouterPhoto by Shelly Farnham

CNC Router


CNC Router Photo by Shelly Farnham

BUILDING COMMUNITY

Introductions andCoordinating Meeting


Group Activities


Group Meal

Photo by Joel Walters

Group Meal


Opening Night Party


Collaboration

Photo by Leo SpizzirriPhoto by Leo Spizzirri

Collaboration


PROJECT SETUP

Solar Sunflower Photo by Leo Spizzirri

Polyp Photo by Leo SpizzirriPhoto by Leo Spizzirri

Lighter than Air Photo by Leo Spizzirri

The Portal Photo by Leo Spizzirri

Thunderhead Photo by Leo Spizzirri

AquaFleurPhoto by Leo Spizzirri

Portal Sensor Mote

SwarmPhoto by Leo SpizzirriPhoto by Leo Spizzirri

The Portal Photo by Leo Spizzirri

Solar Sunflower Photo by Leo Spizzirri

Popup Arcade Lighter than AirPhoto by Leo SpizzirriPhoto by Shelly Farnham

Not much time for relaxing! Photo by Leo Spizzirri

take a virtual walk through the luminous garden

Art & Photos