SPACE TRASH BIONIC ARCHITECTURE

June 12, 2014 - For Immediate Release

Inspired by a friend’s struggle against Multiple Sclerosis, The Principals designed an installation to fundraise for the National MS Society. Space Trash allows users to control the installation with the same muscle-move- ment reading myoelectric sensors used in prosthetic devices, creating a truly bionic architecture.

Multiple Sclerosis erodes neural pathways, inhibiting muscle control. In ex- treme cases, this erosion causes paralysis. Exo-skeleton prosthesis can be used in these cases to combat atrophy, by using myoelectric sensors to read the electrical impusles from functioning muscles to control non-func- tioning muscles. Space Trash uses three myoelectric sensors attached to the forearm, when the muscle contracts the installation responds, con- tracting and expanding based off of the user’s biorhythms. The space that is created extends our bodily impulses to the space we inhabit, functioning beyond the contraints of gravity and terrestrial movement.

Space Trash is the first in a series of installations exploring Bionic Archi- tecture designed to raise awareness and funds for Multiple Sclerosis. The installation first appeared at Reclaim 3 during NY Design Week, and will be appearing later this summer at the Ace Hotel curated space at MoMA PS1. Inconjunctionwiththeinstallation,ThePrincipalsdesignedtheMoon Rock coaster set, a series of prismatic geometric forms cast in concrete available for purchase on their web shop. A portion of the proceeds will go to support the National MS Society NY Chapter.

theprincipals.us/store/space-trash-ms-fundraiser INFO@THEPRINCIPALS.US