The Amyloid Project
Project Details
Community Engagement through Art – A Layered Approach:
urbanSTEW created a multifaceted artwork inspired by Dr. Vaiana’s research, which focuses on a newly discovered class of proteins found in the human body, called Intrinsically Disordered Proteins (IDPs). The goal is to create a work that engages community in conversation about research, intrinsically disordered proteins and amyloids through art that is both fun and interactive. For this project, urbanSTEW proposes to take a layered approach to audience engagement and participation.
The Amyloid Project premiered at the March 2014 spark! Mesa’s Festival of Creativity.
The Amyloid Steel Structure:
In partnership with Brian Korsedal of Arcology Now, urbanSTEW is designing and building a large-scale, steel structure that reflects the physical shape of an amyloid. (Amyloids are created when IDPs aggregate together.) urbanSTEW’s steel structure will be fabricated with sensors that allow participants to create unique soundscapes by touching various locations on the structure. The interactive soundscape may be played solo, or more interestingly, become a collaborative experience with multiple people enlivening the soundscape with new sounds, based on which area of the structure they are touching.
For more about the steel amyloid structure, click here.
The Performance:
urbanSTEW is also simultaneously creating a multimedia dance performance piece, which will utilize the interactive structure. The dance performance will be approximately 30 minutes in length and will include original image projection and sound compositions. The performance will be fun, quirky, and saturated with images that will bring the complex IDP concepts and theories to life through dance, image and sound.