Sammie Kim – Looking Outwards – 07

Artificial Arcadia is a collaborative project between the KOSMOS architects and Fragmentin, an art practice based in Switzerland. With its spatial design inspired by the Swiss infrastructures like snow cannons, irrigation systems, and more, Artificial Arcadia inspires visitors to interact with the dynamic landscape in a performative scenographic landscape. This landscape is mapped with “bauprofile” markers, which are construction poles that show the intended location of future buildings, and they are topped with a white textile roof evoking the Swiss mountain range. The interactive element comes alive as visitors enter and move through the installation, where the poles position themselves at different heights and gradually fall to reference the melting levels of ice. The algorithms derives from the Swiss topography data, where a new portion of the Alps snow level map is randomly selected and analyzed every few minutes, then translated within the landscape. This project was inspiring as it provides a perspective towards our environment, particularly how it sparks debate regarding the artificial integration to a natural area. Likewise, Fragmentin’s work crosses the boundary between art and engineering, exploring the complex systems through form and interaction. 

Artificial Arcadia – Measured and adjustable landscapes