Philip Beesley Architect Inc. Simons' Aurora

Simons’ Aurora, Philip Beesley Architect Inc, 2013, Eric Bury & Andrea Ling, project leads. Simons Department Store, Edmonton, Alberta. Laser-cut acrylic, mylar, and silicon, stainless steel, borosilicate glass, LEDs, Arduino-controlled sensor and actuator network. Approximately 50’L x 30’W x 18’H. Permanent commission for Peter Simons for new Simons store at West Edmonton Mall. Aurora takes its inspiration from the aurora borealis, with its natural plays of light and dance of elements dependent on chance interactions and energetic collisions. The large scale installation offers the public its own interaction within an ever-adapting sculptural architecture, enlivening the human experience by gently swelling and rippling in an ocean of intelligent LED lights that responds to viewers gathering below. The work was executed by a core studio and install team of 12 and with the assistance of hundreds of volunteers and interns.