Nano-Scape

Nano-Scape
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Nano-Scape
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Nano-Scape
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Nano-Scape
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Christa Sommerer & Laurent Mignonneau, Nano-Scape, 2002
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Christa Sommerer & Laurent Mignonneau, Nano-Scape, 2002
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Christa Sommerer & Laurent Mignonneau, Nano-Scape, 2002
image/jpeg
640 × 417

Christa Sommerer & Laurent Mignonneau, Nano-Scape, 2002
image/jpeg
417 × 640

Christa Sommerer & Laurent Mignonneau, Nano-Scape, 2002
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640 × 417

This nano-scale sculpture is invisible, just like the Nano-world it comments about. While science and media try to capture images of these tiniest of particles in order to understand their properties, Nano-Scape tries to make this Nano-world intuitively accessible through touch.
A wireless magnetic force-feedback interface allows users to touch invisible nano particles, creating an every changing invisible sculpture which modifies its shape and properties as users interact with it and with eachother.
Users wear magnetic ring interfaces that are made of strong permanent magnets. When users move their hands over the tables of the installation, strong magnetic forces, repulsion, attraction and even slight shock can be felt. As users try to comprehend the structure of this invisible sculpture through touch, its shape changes and varies, as a direct result of the users´ hand positions and frequency of movements. The invisible sculpture also takes into account other users´ interaction forces. These forces are calculated through a simplified atomic force simulation, modeled on “VanderWaals“ forces. This allows us to model simultaneous interaction influences of various users onto an overall collective shape.

CHRISTA SOMMERER & LAURENT MIGNONNEAU