Looking Outwards – 09

I admire the project Active Ecosystem (SMF) by Camille Utterback and Michelle Higa Fox created in 2011 for Sacramento International Airport’s ticketing hall. I like how it continues the surrounding structure’s idea of “bringing the outside in”. It shows the interest of its maker in its inspiration: the “cycles of growth, movement, and decay in the natural agricultural environment or Sacramento”. The piece changes in response to multiple factors including the elevator that it surrounds, the time of day, and seasons. The piece combines hand drawn animations and dynamic calculations to generate the movement of growing or moving. It embodies the Utterback’s goal of creating physical-digital stems that engage surrounding and people’s bodies instead of just grasping attention of passerbyers. Camille Utterback is an artist with a focus on digital and interactive art. She explores possibilities of linking computational systems to human movement and physicality in many ways. Utterback combines sensing and display technology with custom software. She has a BA from Williams College and an MPS degree from the Interactive Telecommunications Program from New York University.

Active Ecosystem (SMF) | Camille Utterback