ASTRAL EXPERIENCE
By Sovamind Studios
Astral Experience is an interactive art installation that allows viewers to step into a galaxy and manipulate the very fabric of space and time. Participants will be surrounded by lights, lasers, and colors, while interacting with a central plane lit from above by UV lights. The frame holding up the plane will additionally be lit from the inside around the perimeter in color changing lights and patterns. Participants are invited to control the lighting effects through a small panel and interact with the surface of the central plane rolling colorful balls on its surface. These balls of various sizes and colors will glow under UV light and be returned through a portal near the bottom for reuse.
The panels wrapping around the piece will be lit with colored lights and lasers similar to the previous piece, A Colorful Place.
The central interactive focus of the piece will be an evolution of the previous piece, Stellar Vortex. The frame for this piece will be completely enclosed in transparent plastic with lights emanating from behind them all the way around. Lighting will be moved out to poles supporting the mandala above the piece and creating a more open feeling and providing 360 degree interactive access.
About Sovamind Studios
Sovamind Studios has been working on creating interactive and engaging environments at musical events and art festivals since 2004. He tries to use interesting shapes and colored lights to combine in ways that provide a place that entices people to stay and engage their senses. His latest works have tried to include direct interaction and viewer control as well as encompassing the viewer in a way to separate them from distractions and more fully immerse themselves in the art. His installations have been included in several regional festivals, OMSI’s maker’s fair, and temporary installations for musical events.
Logistics
Astral Experience can be brought in by a pickup truck or SUV. It will require two people to set it up and a 10’ ladder. If a 10’ ladder is not available to be borrowed for approximately 90 minutes, please communicate this with the artist so that other arrangements can be planned.
Astral Experience requires a 25’ diameter circle or a 25’ x 25’ square. Some guy lines could extend outside of this area by up to 5’ depending on firmness of soil.
The most important placement element is that the SURFACE MUST BE FLAT AND EVEN, or as close to this as possible. If no flat even surface will be available this must be communicated in advance so that planning can be done to figure out how to bring the piece to level during setup.
Astral Experience requires approximately 200 watts of 120 volt AC power. If this is not available then a generator can be used to power the piece. The generator is a Honda EU series inverter generator that emits 47 decibels of noise and can be located 100’ away from the art piece. Ideally the generator does not need to be used to minimize noise which takes away from the experience or might bother others nearby. Currently, a crowd funding campaign to raise money to buy a battery system to power the piece is being considered as well.
The central piece is constructed from a repurposed 14’ trampoline frame and can be setup with one person but two people makes it much easier and faster. The exterior surrounding panels are stretched between galvanized poles placed over pieces of rebar that extend 2′ into the ground. The poles are stabilized using guy lines which extend 2′ – 5′ from the poles depending on soil conditions. All lines are lit to prevent accidents and ground screws are used with flat washers that prevent tripping or injuries. Setup time is approximately 2 – 3 hours in good weather. Piece is expected to handle steady winds up to 30 mph with stretch fabric panels able to be removed quickly if wind becomes too strong for supports.