Public Art: Vancouver Aquarium Features LED Origami Jellyfish

December 26, 2011  |   News,   World
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Vancouver based Tangible Intervention and origami artist Joseph Wu has created an unusual installation called “Jelly Swarm.” Jelly Swarm is comprised of 94 “jellies”; each “jelly” is made of laser cut and scored Tyvek that is then carefully hand folded by Joseph Wu. All of the “jellies” are lit from the inside with LED technology and suspended from a reflective aluminum structure. The structure reflects color and light onto the surrounding space.

Jelly Swarm was specifically developed to imitate the natural and reactive behaviors of bioluminescent jellyfish, which glow when they have been disturbed. Jelly Swarm is an interactive installation in which guests may evoke a response from the jellyfish by moving their hands across plinth-mounted touchscreen interfaces, causing the “jellies” to respond. Each “jelly” is individually programmed; when left alone, the “jellies” will interact with their neighbors, resulting in a luminescent display.