Ernest Daetwyler (Canada/Switzerland)
Ernest Daetwyler (Canada/Switzerland) »Forest Cell Sph[Air]es« – Installation
The installation Forest Cell Sph[air]es consists of seven interactive plastic spheres floating in various heights in the forest. Appearing as dreamy, temporary and volatile spaces, these moving spheres invite visitors to enter the installation.
The idea for this project for “Laboratory” was inspired by the intriguing terminology and text found on the internet by David S. Goodsell, Ph.D. regarding bionanotechnology: “…Applications include creation of targeted nanomachines for use in nanomedicine, applications of selfassembly to create novel biomaterials, the harnessing of molecular motors, DNA computers, artificial life, and biosensors. Biologically-inspired evolutionary methods are also being used to discover new nanomachinery, and hybrids of bionanomachinery with inorganic materials are being developed.”
The transparent appearance of the spheres, built in metal, wood and plastic wrap, might recall strange forms of alien eggs, floating in space. The installation might further recall associations with an utopian environment or a scientific experiment, particularly when inhabited. Plastic alien spheres provide space and shelter and become part of the natural forest environment. The installation has an immediate, surreal and poetic presence.
Thomas Kühl about Forest Cell Sph[air]es
As a physicist, the sphere fascinates me beyond its aesthetic form: based on the mathematical properties, a sphere consists of an endless number of symmetry planes, specifically all planes passing through its center. Further, the sphere is symmetrical in relation to every axis and pivot as well as point symmetrical regarding its center point.
These characteristics provide the seemingly delicate shape with enormeous stability. When a sphere is compressed in a fast manner and consistently from all sides, par example under the fire of high energy lasers, all shock waves meet in the centre. Given this geometry, we hope to be able to produce energy with droplets the size of a millimeter by using the sun’s mechanism to create energy.
