Foster + Partners has teamed up with Amelia Peng, an MA Textiles student at the Royal College of Art, and musicians and composers from the Royal College of Music. Together, they have designed an installation for the London Design Biennale called “Inner Peace.” This exhibit combines interactive textiles and live musical performances to create an immersive experience. Visitors will be able to engage with the display, and their emotions will guide 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 “Inner Peace” installation is a spectacular waterfall set against the backdrop of Somerset House’s Nelson Stair. Visitors are invited to listen to music while wearing a headset that records their brain waves and visually expresses them on the back layer of the fabric installation. The outer layer can respond directly to the music, which can be pre-recorded or live performed by composers and musicians from the Royal College of Music. The musicians will wear the headset during the live performances, which are scheduled throughout the biennale, to demonstrate the effect of creating music on the brain.
The data programming that converts brain waves into movement and color was created by Foster + Partners Specialist Modelling Group. The team collaborated closely with Dreamlux, an Italian textile weaver who created the innovative fiber optic fabric for the installation.
