RE:site and METALAB teamed up to win this commissioned award from Texas A&M University for an installation in the new Memorial Student Center 12th Man Hall. The team's success in the competition came from their ability to, “harness the potential of programmable LEDs, remote sensing, parametric design and digital fabrication to create an open ended narrative of the story of the University.” The living sculpture design, entitled Memory Cloud, brings the traditions of past and present Texas A&M students to life.
According to the project description, the installation consists of, “strands of 4,000 LED nodes that flicker on and off to create three-dimensional silhouettes that float across a matrix of light.” Archived footage from a variety of campus activities and past graduations form the silhouettes that walk across the sculpture.
Memory Cloud features a connection of past and present, as viewers cannot tell when the silhouettes were recorded. From various angles, visitors to the hall will see abstract pulsating lights, moving silhouettes, or a blurring of the two. You can see the sculpture in action here.
