Circuit

Circuit • Between Presence & Absence • An installation in Burnet Woods, Cincinnati, Ohio April 2015

Circuit Between Presence and Absence A capstone for the fulfillment of a Bachelor of Science in Architecture in the School of Architecture and Interior Design of the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning at the University of Cincinnati

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“You feel as if you’ve touched the heart of the place. That’s a way of understanding. Seeing something that you never saw before, that was always there, but you were blind to it.”

- Andy Goldsworthy

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The project celebrates the simplicity of a floating white balloon. The project’s focus was an installation around the water in Burnet Woods, Cincinnati, that marries the flâneur with the walking path around the pond. A four month process of on-site prototyping became a way to read the site and understand the transformative power of the balloon as it relates to site and self.

All work completed in a group of two.

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Wired balloons were controlled by an Arduino Uno computer.

Left A piece of muslin filled with sand acted as a counterweight for the balloons. Right An assembly made up of an LED, resistor, silicone insulated wire, and a rubber stopper was inserted into wired balloons.

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Event poster, 4/5/15

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On-Site Prototyping

Design decisions relating to balloon placement were made based on a series of on-site prototypes.

Prototypes explored how balloons could articulate a relationship between the individual and the site. Scale models and drawing also supplemented the prototypes.

The conditions in our permit prohibited us from placing balloons on the water during the installation.

Later prototypes engaged with the pedestrian path around the water and responded to conditions along the water’s edge.

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April 10-11, 2015 Volunteers assisted with the installation of the two constructions as well as with inflation and placement of balloons.

Before illumination, the balloons stood out against the natural landscape of Burnet Woods. Wired sections of balloons were installed along the path to be powered from a switchbox.

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10 a - 5 p

The wooden frame frames the view toward the white lantern and created an intimate space to view the installation as a whole. The space behind the frame became a meeting point to gather in groups.

The lantern became an isolated object on the water, framed by the balloons and its own reflection.

Balloons were placed at varying heights to articulate different relationships with the viewer and to negotiate the change in elevation around the water.

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8p - 10 p

Low-height balloons placed at the water’s edge created a strong reflection visible from the path across the water.

Artificial lighting around sections of the water was not able to be turned off.

Earlier prototypes determined the lights were too bright and challenged the illumination from a balloon.

Balloons were placed so as not to compete with these lights and to create a connection across the water.

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Lantern The documentation on the following pages examines one of the spatial constructions created for the project entitled “Circuit.�

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The metal frame that supported the curtain was constructed from two 9’ semi-circles of rolled steel and one 3’ inner circle.

Four aluminum posts were

Each semi-circle was laid into a wooden

anchored to the existing boardwalk

form and then welded together.

structure. The hoop was lifted into place then hung from these posts with metal chains.

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The top is open to the trees and sky.

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November

January

April

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When the balloons are illuminated, the construction glowed.

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Figure The lantern becomes an object on the water, framed by its own reflection.

Movement inside the construction registers on the fabric enclosure as a silhouette.

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Sometimes making something leads to nothing.

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The temporal nature of the installation celebrates the “balance between presence and absence.”

The event is over and the project is packed up. As the installation fades from memory, the project as it was conceived is gone. The document becomes the only way to explore the transformation that occurred.

To see a video about balloons, go to: https://vimeo.com/129696829 Process documentation here: http:// circuit2015.tumblr.com/ 1 Alÿs, F. (1997). Sometimes Making Something Leads to Nothing [Performance]. Mexico DF, Mexico.

Above Entry for end-of-year DAAPWorks show.

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534 b alloons 2 permit proposals 9 on-site prototypes The end is no process.

Clearing. 2 2 Thomas Bernhard, Correction

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