john grade's capacitor moves and illuminates with weather data

john grade’s capacitor moves and illuminates with weather data
image courtesy of john michael kohler arts center

american artist john grade‘s ‘capacitor’ is a kinetic sculptural installation that moves in response to weather data collected from the roof of its home at john michael kohler arts center, wisconsin. the artwork — whose coil configuration is influenced by organic and geometric forms found in nature — physically behaves according to accumulated statistics from a mechanized controller, amassing both current outdoor conditions and weather patterns from the past one hundred years. sending the information about change in wind intensity and temperature directly to the sculpture, the interactive art piece moves and changes in luminosity. ‘the whole of the sculpture will appear to be very slowly breathing’, describes john grade. one hundred separate structural components, which make up ‘capacitor’, change in light level, illuminating and dimming when there is a fluctuation in temperature. shifts in the wind are marked by motion as the massive spiral compresses and releases.

visitors interact with the immersive, kinetic art piece
image courtesy of john grade
 

a team installs the structural components into place
image courtesy of john michael kohler arts center

visitors interact with the immersive, kinetic art piece
image courtesy of john michael kohler arts center
 

the coil configuration is influenced by organic and geometric forms found in nature
image courtesy of john michael kohler arts center