Softwood Timber Structures to Feature in Vivid Sydney Festival 2017

Softwood Timber Structures to Feature in Vivid Sydney Festival 2017

By David Rowlinson  May 25th, 2017

A group of talented young Brisbane Architects was commissioned by Destination NSW to create 'Twelve Tone', an interactive light and sound sculpture for the Vivid Sydney festival. The assorted pieces of softwood timber comprise 12 stacks corresponding to the 12 tones in a musical octave.

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Article first appeared in Timber and Forestry E-News

A group of talented young Brisbane Architects - known as the Unqualified Design Studio - was commissioned by Destination NSW to create ‘Twelve Tone’, an interactive light and sound sculpture for the Vivid Sydney festival. The assorted pieces of softwood timber comprise 12 stacks corresponding to the 12 tones in a musical octave.

“A wireless piano keyboard triggers light and sound from the stacks, creating a spatial performance of aural and visual music,” an enthusiastic Shane Sugrue said. “The display will be on show in Martin Place for three weeks and will be witnessed by more than two million visitors,” he said.

Hyne Timber product development manager Geoff Stringer said, “We don’t often see timber projects that are open-air sculptures, particularly interactive displays like this one. It seemed like a great way to show off softwood timber in the heart of Sydney. We are very pleased we could support the project and believe there is some chance of Brisbane hosting this sculpture after Vivid.”

Cutting-edge mesh network technology and custom micro-controller coding allow the stacks in ‘Twelve Tone’ to glow and sing. State-of-the art wireless technology allows real-time triggering of each stack’s light and sound from a single user-interface. Using a digital piano with its keys mapped to the stacks, users will be invited to ‘play’ the installation.

“When an individual key is pressed, it triggers light and sound from the corresponding stack, allowing them to function individually or as part of a highly choreographed performance,” designer Shane Sugrue said.

More exemplar timber projects

 

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By David Rowlinson

Make it Wood Program Manager

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