TELE-PRESENT WIND DAVID BOWEN

CONCEPT Tele-present wind is a kinetic installation that draws information from the intensity and direction of the wind in a given location. The wind is detected by a sensor device attached to a natural object in an outdoor location. The gathered information is then transferred to a collective of similar objects installed in a remote gallery space resulting in the simulation of the physical effects caused by the movement of the air from a distant location.

TECHNICAL This installation consisted of a series of 21 x/y tilting devices connected to thin dried plant stalks installed in the gallery and a dried plant stalk connected to an accelerometer installed outdoors. When the wind blows it causes the stalk outside to sway. The accelerometer detects this movement transmitting it in real-time to the grouping of devices in the gallery. Therefore the stalks in the gallery space moved in real-time in unison based on the movement of the wind in a remote location.

In June of 2010 the 21 x/y tilting devices were installed at Laboratoria Art and Science Space in Moscow and the sensor were installed at the Visualization and Digital Imaging Lab at the University of Minnesota. The data collected by the sensor was sent in real-time via the internet to the installation in Moscow. Thus the individual components of this installation in Moscow moved in unison as they mimiced the direction and intensity of the wind in Minnesota.