Over the past weekend we took on the task of moving Arcus Animus from its site in the Architecture Building to the Center for Media Design in the Letterman Building on Ball State University’s Campus. Arcus Animus was originally completed as part of an Inconvenient Studio’s exercise lead by Philip Beesley from the University of Waterloo/PBAi and sponsored by the Institute for Digital Fabrication.
The animation of Arcus Animus responds to the movement of users under and around the installation. The system is comprised of six infrared sensors, four Arduino microcontrollers, fifteen solenoid valves, and fifteen air muscles. Communication between these components is driven by processing-based code, which animates a mesh of impact-resistant acrylic, silicone, bamboo, and mylar.
In order to accommodate the new site, and hide wiring or tubing it was necessary to drill through drywall and remove small sections of ceiling tile. Working over the weekend has allowed us to avoid the University politics involved with this type of building modification.
The most challenging aspect of the work was the reconfiguration of the installation to a fit a linear space. In order to make the system operational again, components had to be replaced, and most of the bays rewired. The process tested our soldering skills as well as involved our past experience with Arduino programming. Further development the code, allowed us to reprogram the system and heighten the level of response to the user.
Arcus Animus will make its debut at the IDMAa Conference the first weekend of November.
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