“Hamama” ceiling installation challenges the materiality of the acrylic it´s made from and becomes an organic expression of a controlled agitation of this flock of doves, which sprouts from its core. This analogue parametric sculpture is made up of tri-part units which have been heat bent into dynamic shapes, linked together in order to generate its visual dynamism. Primary units have a translucent material quality, the clear acrylic secondary units add a subtle texture to the piece as it fades away towards its edges.

The team therefore began the process by experimenting with various materials and techniques that challenged the norm while catering to the context and theme of the site. Three different proposals were conceptualized for the project which explored different shapes, materials and sizes. The chosen proposal expressed frozen dynamism using a monochromatic color scheme. The extensive design process altered between hand drawings, sketch models, 3D digital modeling, parametric algorithms and mock-up modeling until a flexible system was developed out of one unit which can be aggregated into a transformable module. Several versions of the unit were designed to have hierarchy in size and color, and were then heat-bent into dynamic shapes to create a multi-dimensional image of a flight of doves photographed mid-flight when linked together to form the final structure.

This parametric installation is made up of tri-part units which have been heat bent into dynamic shapes and linked with other units to generate an iterative module. The system begins with a central module which uses 8mm thick units, and then branches out into thinner 6mm and 4mm sub-units. The frosted primary units add visual complexity to the piece by allowing light to partially bounce off of the pieces and cause dynamic reflections, while the clear secondary units add subtle texture to the whole by being attached to the ends of the primary units and emphasizing the notion of frozen movement.  These heat bent pieces are connected by metallic fasteners through a four-point distribution method between the ‘wings’ of the pieces.

The installation is suspended from the ceiling via a robust pulley and wooden counterweight system which contrasts the fluidity of the acrylic to create an over-all balance between the art and the mechanics of the installation. Three independent black ropes are strung through the acrylic composition and are fixed in place to a wide wooden stopper which distributes the suspension weight and secures the connection within the counterweight.

The wooden floor mounted counterweight was designed to serve as an independent sculpture while also functioning as the counter-load to mechanically lower the sculpture for annual maintenance purposes. The 50 kg sculpture can easily be glided down by a single person by unlocking the padlock at the rear end of the sculpture and unraveling the rope to gradually detach and lift the upper wooden portion from the floor mounted anchor to hover around a human level of 1m off the floor.