Idea Tree described by Soo-in Yang as a “self-sustaining ecology of ideas”

Idea Tree, created by artist Soo-in Yang and fabricated by Demirurge, serves as a prominent entrance to the convention center by bridging the gap between art and technology.

This sculpture takes in various audio inputs such as speech, song, and ambient noise, and uses them to generate a unique and ever-changing audio composition. It accomplishes this by utilizing advanced AI and speech recognition software to interact with and learn from the participants.

“Idea Tree, artist Soo-in Yang’s landmark sculpture for the City of San Jose McEnery Convention Center’s entry plaza, reflects the bold thinking and vision that characterizes San Jose’s place as the Capital of Silicon Valley and the world’s leading region for innovation. Idea Tree is an energetic and layered architectural-scale sculpture that provides a point of interaction between the Convention Center and the public, a shade structure, and an audio soundscape that the artist describes as a “self-sustaining ecology of ideas,” said Soo-in Yang.

Artistic Vision and Community Impact

The centerpiece of the sculpture is a 40-foot-diameter canopy supported by three columns. It is made up of six interlocking steel rings with a stainless steel cable system that creates a hyper-toroidal surface. Each set of columns was constructed as a single unit using a two-dimensional template.

According to Demirurge, The sculpture’s location in a seismically active area necessitated rigorous weld specification and extensive testing. As part of this process, Demiurge created an encyclopedic quality control document in order to track the completion and inspection of over 300 welds. Our welding consultant performed both visual and magnetic particle inspections, as mandated by the engineering documents without discovering a single undercut, crack, or flaw.

Project Info

Artist: Soo-in Yang
Materials: Carbon Steel, Concrete, Polycarbonate, Stainless Steel Cable, Fiber Reinforced Plastic
Fabrication + Installation: Demiurge
Engineering: ARUP
Location: San Jose McEnery Convention Center, San Jose, CA, USA