Mutopia

Mutopia is a spiraling sculptural installation of Seedpods laid out according to the Golden Ratio, a proportion found throughout art and nature. Made of interactive fire, cast aluminum, LED light, video screens, sensors, steel, copper and stainless steel, these thirteen Seedpods lie within a 97’ x 60’ footprint. Each Pod showcases a different stage of growth, from emergence to full bloom.

Mutopia comes alive at night as it is illuminated with light and fire that beckon visitors to enter. The newest Pods are rumbling, hissing steam and glowing with an inner light which occurs with greater or lesser intensity according to human proximity. These Seedpods, aware of their environment and of human presence, respond with a flicker of video and visuals emanating from fruits that emerge from the cast aluminum Seedpods. Moving along the spiral arm, the Pods are extending roots, cracking open, exposing the beginnings of growth and a fire’s glow. A delicate ambient flame quickly develops into propane-driven pneumatics, bursting with fire and movement. Moving on, growth is exponential, roots are solidified and the reproductive parts gain form and move with the force of participant-controlled multi-directional propane “poofers”. Towards the inner vortex, the plants extend tendrils that intertwine, creating archways for participants to gaze through and walk beneath. Humans activate these Pods by using hand cranks and levers to articulate motion and their voices to direct the fire effects. In the inner sanctum of the spiral, the leaves have interwoven to form a canopy of multicolored computer-controlled fire.