Inflatable Architectural Body

Premiered at the Machines and Souls exhibition in Madrid in 2008, the Inflatable Architectural Body is comprised of a system of plug-and-play, inflatable, musculoskeletal modules which create a series of transformative organic structures influenced by the exhibition space. The modular components can be freely connected and rearranged to produce sculptures of varied size, form, complexity and interactive possibility.

The “live” sections of the form are equipped with a simple sensing system that forces the sculpture into action. The motion of a body passing through the space functions as a type of force field that repels the sculpture’s bones, organizing the structure at a constant distance from the viewer. Each inflatable "bone" can be selectively animated by the viewer’s movements, allowing for endless interactive possibilities. One can manipulate the structure, opening it up by creating portals that allow entrance and enclosure, thus creating a new vantage point: 

In this way, the work is influenced by the nature of the environment, the exhibition space, and by audience participants, who are engaged both physically and aesthetically with the constantly transforming structure.  Inflatable Architectural Body uses new technologies to continue a long line of work exploring the forms, movements, and interactions that underlie our experience. 

As a magnification of the cellular world, Inflatable Architectural Body gives us a direct, visceral experience of the kinds of minute geometric constructions that underlie all of life. As the audience brings the sculpture to life, the piece recalls the notion that none of us are bystanders in the natural world. 

By separating elements such as these from our normal modes of experience, and reimagining them in new bodies and interactions, we hope to gain a new perspective on ourselves, and the effects we have on the world around us.

Credits:

Amorphic Robot Works

• Chico MacMurtrie, Artistic Director
• Geo Homsy, Engineering, CNC Software, Machining and Design
• Roberto Aimi, Software, Electronics
• Brett Van Aaursburg, Management, Fabrication, Casting, Installation
• Andy Baker, CAD Design and CNC Machining and Fabrication
• David MacMurtrie, Management, Fabrication, Casting
• Kevin Champeny, Moldmaking and Casting
• Mick Kelly, Fabrication, Layout and Installation
• Janette Wernergreen, Fabrication, Casting
• Carlos Corpa, Installation
• Adam Martinez, Fabrication, Casting
• Hanna Perner Wilson, Fabrication
• Jade Young, Fabrication
• Arpita Dey, CAD Studies