The Global Data
Chandelier installed
at the Center for
Strategic and International Studies in
collaboraiton with
Sosolimited, Plebian
Design, and Chris
Parlato. Image courtesy of Hypersonic.
The Zebrafish
Interactive Donor
Wall installed at the
Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute in collaboration with Small Design
Firm. Image courtesy of
Hypersonic.
conditions. The piece consists of 804 wooden
spheres suspended by wire and programmed to
move in wave-like ways, thanks to the motion
of a complicated series of cams, rollers, and
drums. The motion seems random, but if you
stand in particular places, a pattern emerges. Or
take Patterned by Nature, a piece commissioned
by the North Carolina Museum of Natural
Sciences in Raleigh and created in conjunction
with both SoSo Limited and Plebian Design. A
huge ribbon of metal—10 feet wide and 90 feet
long—twists and turns through the open air in
one of the museum’s new expansion spaces. Set
into the ribbon are 3,600 tiles made up of LCD
glass, each one of which can be made opaque or
clear. Programmed patterns flit across the panels, one of which mimics a flock of passing birds,
another a series of passing clouds.
SciArt in America December 2014
Though Hypersonic seems to be Washabaugh’s dream job, it nevertheless can be challenging. “Thinking of an idea is easy, but actually having to follow through on a concept and
make a physical object that lasts a long time can
be very challenging,” says Washabaugh. “When
it comes to obeying the laws of physics, that can
get a lot harder.”
In the end, though, the process can be extremely satisfying. “You spend so much time on
a computer or notepad,” says Washabaugh, “so
when the piece is built, it’s fascinating to finally
have that immersive experience.”
For the purposes of full disclosure, SciArt in America would like
to acknowledge that their editor in chief is an employee of
Hypersonic.
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