tane is a self-reliant 'digital organism' that can survive in nature without human interference

werc introduces self-reliant ‘digital organism’ 

multidisciplinary artists’ collective WERC introduces ‘tane’, a self-organizing and complex ‘digital organism’ that can survive in the natural environment without human interference. thanks to their hexagonal black solar panels, ‘tanes’ charge in the sun and wake up at night to offer glowing spectacles. following ‘pixi’ and ‘lily’, this project is the third member of the ‘lumo’ family, a series of interactive installations that connect natural processes, art, and technology. 

all images courtesy of WERC

synchronizing with nature to provide glowing visuals at night

WERC’S installation consists of hundreds of individual tanes that stand on poles and can be recognized by their hexagonal solar panels. the organisms make noise during the day when charging and glow brightly at night once they’re activated.  due to the varying weather conditions, the installation shows different light patterns in the evening, which from time to time lead to stunning light spectacles. in this way, tane synchronizes with the rhythm of nature and is in direct contact with its environment. 

the dutch collective see tanes as small creatures that once installed, can live without further human interference in their environment and are able to survive their creators. what’s more, the team sees this interactive art installation as an opportunity for visitors to experience their environment in a new way.

about the lumo family 

the members of WERC have been working for years on the lumo family: a series of light and sound installations that work together with nature. members of this lumo family are pixi, a digital organism that lives in the forest, lily, a digital organism that floats on water and the newest member is tane, a fully self-reliant digital organism that, like its relatives, is inspired by complex patterns from nature.

tane originates from the collective’s fascination with the biological processes that take place within a group of organisms such as a flock of starlings, a group of fireflies, and a school of fish. WERC studied the movements of these types of groups and the choices that an individual makes within such a group. tane is now fully installed in tokyo, where locals and visitors can view the installation and observe the natural landscape with brand new eyes. 

project info:

name: tane
artist: WERC

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: myrto katsikopoulou | designboom