Celebra

Celebra is an interactive installation, originally commissioned by the Uruguayan government as part of the celebrations of Uruguay's 200th anniversary. It is a massive interactive installation that can also operate as an audiovisual performance tool.

The installation comprises a suspended network of two hundred balloons. These balloons can be individually lit using RGB LEDs. The installation senses movement and sounds created around it, while also offering tools for remote access: we created a dedicated website and smartphone apps that allowed remote interaction. The piece unfolds as an abstract communication tool between those who are present and those accessing it remotely.

Celebra embraces two aesthetics that are frequently seen as contradictory: on one hand, much effort was put into the design and construction of its refined control interfaces, interaction schemes, and visual output; on the other, it embraces a rough, grunge aesthetic arising from its components and their interconnection.

It used the first version of Sendero, our open-source lighting system.

Credits:

Tomas Laurenzo — art direction and coding.

Christian Clark — production and coding.

Pablo Gindel — electronics.

Fabrizio Devoto — structure.

Germán Hoffman — coding.

Exhibitions:

• November 2011, Espacio de Arte Contemporáneo, Montevideo, Uruguay.
• February 2012, High School No. 61, Montevideo, Uruguay.
• September 2012, Faculty of Engineering, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay.
• June 2013, International Symposium on Electronic Art, ISEA 2013, Sydney, Australia.
• September 2013, Museo de las Migraciones, Montevideo, Uruguay.
• November 2013, Faculty of Architecture, Design and Urbanism, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay.

Awards:

• Celebra was shortlisted for a Laval Virtual 2013 award, France.

VIDEO DOCUMENTATION — MONTEVIDEO

VIDEO DOCUMENTATION — SYDNEY