2019 Archive : Serpentine

Project Details

Fabric 1

Symmetry
Producer:
Supplier: Fisher Textiles

Fabric 2

-- Select a Name --
Producer:

Design Name
Vanessa Till Hooper, Pamela Hersch, Stephen Gleason

Design Company
Studio HHH and Transformit​

Fabrication Company
Transformit

Project Manager Name
Emily Castro

Installation Company
C&W Engineers

Please describe the project specifications

A temporary installation of eight 9’ x 17’ x 2’ "Pixies", frame supported stretch-fabric sculptural elements, configured in a 40’ serpentine array and suspended from the lobby ceiling of the Exchange at 100 Federal Street in Boston, Massachusetts. The installation was illuminated with projection-mapped lighting and video art to create a fluid and changing visual experience.

What was the purpose of this project? What did the client request?

As part of ILLUMINUS, Boston's contemporary arts festival featuring original works by artists who work in the medium of light and sound, this Somerville, Massachusetts based design firm created 'Serpentine', an original sculpture comprised of eight "Pixies", a stretch-fabric sculptural piece from the ready-made collection of a Maine-based design-build studio specializing in stretch fabric.

Commissioned by 100 Federal’s owner, Boston Properties, 'Serpentine' is suspended from the ceiling and enveloped in projection-mapped video art. The movement and color crossing all surfaces fold the individual elements together into a singular whole, creating a serpentine form arcing through the large glass atrium.

What is unique or complex about the project?

The designers worked with an existing sculptural element, stretch-fabric “Pixies,” to create an entirely new and original work of art, 'Serpentine'. The ever-changing projection-mapped video and lighting played off the fluid shapes of the sculpture to create the appearance that the shapes themselves are in subtle motion. And when viewed in passing, such as when walking by outside on foot or driving past by car, the sculpture’s shape evolves and changes in response to the varying vantage points of the viewer.

What were the results of the project?

The sculpture gave the large atrium a dynamic element for visitors and passers-by to consider. Through the unique perspectives of viewers’ circulation, the artwork became not just a static representation, but a dynamic expression of the way people move throughout their day in the city.

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