with Artforming

Engage was a self-initiated gallery installation at Wentworth Institute of Technology born out of the frustration of several unrealized projects. It was used as a vetting process for several reoccurring concepts and techniques that originated in earlier works and were brought together under the banner of ‘engagement’. Working with students in Wentworth’s Architecture program studying in both Boston and Berlin, it asked participants to question how they engage their surroundings, both physically and culturally.

A custom script for Rhinoceros first developed for Artforming’s Eastern State Penitentiary was used to reconstruct a double curved surface from uniform lengths of lumber. Hardware and software was developed for multiple microcontrollers which were able to gather information from a variety of sensors and use that information to modify the lighting in the room. Through these systems a dynamic, responsive environment was created that accepted a range of user-based input.

This project was well received by the Wentworth community and has since formed the basis for an elective being taught in the school’s Architecture Department.