The newly-opened Natural History Museum of Utah in the United States has commissioned a site-specific and interactive installation by Simon Heijdens to illuminate a section of the Museum's Rio Tento Center. Supported by a major National Endowment for the Arts Grant, the installation is Heijdens' first permanent exhibition in the United States. Like his previous works 'Branches', 'Lightweeds' and 'Tree', this new work utilises real-time local weather data and environmental conditions to produce a 'living' digital organism inspired by Utah's own native plant species. Sensors on the Museum's roof measure sunlight, temperature, humidity and wind speeds to influence the growth of the projection.
December 16, 2011
Photography by Cody Derrick for cityhomecollective