plastique fantastique + marco barotti create breathable walls installation

plastique fantastique + marco barotti create breathable walls installation
all images courtesy of simone serlenga

‘breathing volume’ is an installation created by the berlin-based studio plastique fantastique and sound artist marco barotti that offers a unique experience, merging dynamic architecture and immersive sound design. it plays with the notion of space in an audio-visual context. upon entering, the public will be embraced between breathing walls constantly changing their physical volume, for approximately five minutes, creating a perception of being inside a living organism. four synchronized ventilators trigger the dynamics of the sound matrix and the movement of the walls by following the canon of the human lungs: inhale, exhale. subwoofers are placed in its interior, transforming the pulsing bass frequencies into the soul of the organism.

the walls of the installation breathe, opening and closing against the visitors
video © simone serlenga

‘breathing volume’ unexpectedly steers the focus from what surrounds us to what is immediate, here and now, offering a distorted reflection on our relationship with space, its distance, and its extension. the installation was a joint project between plastique fantastique and marco baroti for the 4+4 days on motion festival in prague held during october 2015.

four synchronized ventilators trigger the dynamics of the sound matrix and the movement of the walls

the sound system is connected to the plastic walls

visitors going through the volume when the walls are exhaling

the visitors get squeezed in the volume 

the breathing pattern follows that of the human lungs

subwoofers are placed in its interior, transforming the pulsing bass frequencies into the soul of the organism

the walls are made of translucent plastic

the installation offers a unique experience, merging dynamic architecture and immersive sound design

feeling the volume 

the public will be embraced between breathing walls constantly changing their physical volume

breathing out

project info:

concept: marco canevacci, marco barotti
production design: yena young
team: hugo luque, stephanie grönnert
set & film: simone serlenga
special thanks: markéta černá, markus wüste, lorenzo brusci

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: juliana neira | designboom