ARTE LUCE

- Sunny Side Up, 2018
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Sunny Side Up, a robotic sun developed by studio AATB, proposes a contemporary take on the archaic typology of the sundial. This interactive object embodies the movement of the Sun in real time as the Earth orbits around it. From sunrise to high noon and sunset, Sunny Side Up brings the movement of this celestial body close to the viewer. The robotic sun orbits around a metal rod, casting a shadow and allowing the measurement of time, as well as the viewer’s reconnection with celestial events.
In the age of Anthropocene, Sunny Side Up raises questions on our current disconnect from the planet and circadian rhythms. In a future where cities get more and more polluted, will our current disconnect from starlight and the night sky permeate to daylight and the sun’s position? Similarly, in a world where productivity and work cycles ignore natural rhythms, can this artificial sun serve as a timely reminder of when to start and when to stop?
This man-made sun also raises awareness on the artificial construction of nature and the technological quest to harness it throughout time. The project was first shown during Milan Design Week 2018, as part of the U-JOINTS exhibition curated by Andrea Caputo and Anniina Koivu.
Sunny Side Up is one of the first commissions of newly formed studio AATB, which investigates the potential of robotics to exist outside of the realm of factory floors, operating at the intersection of art, design and technology. The Zurich and Marseille-based studio was founded by Andrea Anner and Thibault Brevet in 2018.

- Musica Universalis, 2016
Steel, acrylic, LED, electronics, code | dimensions variable

Musica Universalis continues UVA’s explorations of time, space, light and sound.

During the 1st century BC, mathematician and philosopher Pythagoras discovered a series of relationships between geometry and harmonics. He identified that the pitch of a musical note is in proportion to the length of the string that produces it, and that intervals between harmonious sound frequencies form simple numerical ratios.

Musica Universalis is a spatial instrument that investigates the resonances from far away objects in our solar system. It comprises a series of kinetic, physical sculptures, each containing a spherical form and a mechanism driving a rotating light source and speaker. Light is cast through the space creating interventions and interactions with the architecture. Oscillations slowly drift in and out of harmony within each cell and across the series. Over time, white light shifts into its component frequencies of colour.
Sound design by Ben Kreukniet
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