Foster + Partners has collaborated with Amelia Peng, an MA Textiles student at the Royal College of Art, along with musicians and composers from the Royal College of Music to create an installation for the London Design Biennale. Inner Peace combines smart interactive textiles and musical performance to engage visitors in an immersive display, with their feelings and emotions directing the visual effects.
Irene Gallou, Senior Partner and Head of Specialist Modelling Group, Foster + Partners, said: “This project has been a wonderful opportunity for our team to collaborate with talented students, musicians and composers in the fields of art and music. We are delighted to see people engaging with and enjoying the installation at this year’s London Design Biennale.”
The installation takes the form of a spectacular waterfall, set against the backdrop of the Nelson Stair at Somerset House. Visitors are invited to wear a headset that records their brain waves and visually expresses them on the back layer of the fabric installation, as they listen to music being played in the space. The outer layer can respond directly to the music, which is either a pre-recorded piece or a live performance by composers and musicians at the Royal College of Music. During the live performances, which are scheduled throughout the biennale, the musicians will wear the headset to demonstrate the effect of creating music on the brain.
Foster + Partners’ Specialist Modelling Group has developed the data programming that converts the brain waves into movement and colour. The team has worked closely with the Italian textile weaver, Dreamlux, who created the innovative fiber optic fabric for the installation.
The London Design Biennale will be held at Somerset House from 1 - 25 June 2023.
The team from Foster + Partners are Irene Gallou, Josef Musil, Nicola Agresta, Xiaoming Yang, Andy Acred and Yu Hu.
