khoral

khôral / professional / orproject / 2020

computational design, electronics, fabrication logic

khôral is an interactive art installation inspired from the growth of coral reefs. The forms were derived using a series of differential line growth algorithms. khôral was envisioned as a spatial composition of coral forms that visitors could walk into and around. It was prototyped and developed as a 1:4 scaled model in paper and aluminum, and adaptively detailed to suit the scale and material choice. The entire sculpture comprises of three corals, fabricated using a total of 627 laser cut strips which were joined together at 14958 locations.

with Rajat Sodhi, Christoph Klemmt

All photographs : Suryan/Dang and Orproject

Equipped with an interactive lighting system that plays with human interaction, the forms breathe in closely syncopated rhythms, fading and blooming until they completely die out; leaving the space empty and devoid of life. As the forms interact with each other, whilst maintaining the interstitial space between each other, the visitors slowly learn to interact with the sculpture, maintaining distance and letting it bloom; interacting, without intervening.

The algorithmically generated form was rationalized into developable strips that were serially joined along the edges, forming the curved morphology as they are bent to shape. While the paper model had simple glued joints, a novel integrated flat-and-slot joint, inspired from a stapler was designed for the aluminum model. While this detail was robust and secured joints successfully, it was labor and time intensive. Thus, paper was chosen as the material for commissioned sculpture.