Tuesday, 12 July 2005 | Levent OZLER
Maximilian's Schell
The new vortex-shaped, outdoor installation by architects Benjamin Ball and Gaston Nogues at Materials & Applications (M&A) in Los Angeles warps the flow of space with a featherweight rendition of a celestial black hole; "the deadliest force in the Universe." Hovering over M&A's courtyard, "Maximilian's Shell" is the size of an apartment building and is a spectacle that has been stopping traffic along Silver Lake Boulevard since its unveiling two weeks ago. Constructed in tinted Mylar resembling stained glass, the vortex functions as a shade structure, swirling above the outdoor gallery through November 26th 2005.
The interior of the immersive installation creates an environment for enhanced social interaction and contemplation by changing the space, color, and sound of the M&A courtyard gallery. During the day as the sun passes overhead, the canopy casts colored fractal light patterns onto the ground while a tranquil subsonic drone from an integrated ambient sound installation by composer James Lumb (Electric Skychurch) entitled "Resonant Amplified Vortex Emitter," lightly rumbles below the feet of visitors.
Since beginning development over a year ago, the designers have tried to create a project which functions as architecture, sculpture, and a "made-to-order" product. They achieved a solution with the desired aesthetic effects by manipulating Mylar, internally reinforced with bundled Nylon and Kevlar fibers, with a sophisticated computer controlled (CNC) cutting machine. The transparent amber-colored film offers UV-resistance through a golden metallic finish. The result is neither a tent-type membrane nor a cable net structure in the manner of Frei Otto, but a unique tensile matrix comprised of 504 different instances of a parametric component, each cut using the CNC system. As though warped by the force of gravity, the components continually change scale and shape as they approach the center or "singularity" of the piece. The extreme intricacy and repetitiveness of the assembly pay homage to actor Maximilian Schell's character 'Dr. Reinhardt' in Disney Studio's classic sci-fi thriller, The Black Hole. Dr. Reinhardt is a tyrant on a monomaniacal quest to harness the "power of the vortex" and possess "the great truth of the unknown!"
Benjamin Ball is an architect and former production designer. Gaston Nogues is an architect and a product designer at Frank Gehry Partners. Together the Ball-Nogues team designs objects and environments using a combination of hand-made prototypes and advanced digital design and fabrication tools. James Lumb is a composer and technology developer who creates multi-media installations under the moniker "Electric Skychurch."
This installation will accompany a series of open-air discussions on design, technology and culture in a "show & tell" format as well as other special events throughout the summer at Materials & Applications, 1619 Silver Lake Boulevard in Los Angeles.
More information is available at the M&A website: http://www.emanate.org
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