Overview

Krugman Studio collaborated with a world renowned exhibit design firm to create this 5-ft dynamic brain sculpture. The brain is supported on a transparent piece of milled acrylic that makes it appear to hover above its podium. Several layers of differing types of LED media (some hand-soldered mesh) were programmed to give the appearance of depth and a variety of types of activity. A ten-minute long timeline, heavily imbued with randomness creates the illusion of complex neuro-activity. Krugman Studio collaborated with Oom Studios to create a parametric model based on the surface of an open-sourced brain 3D model. Using Pepakura Designer (an origami software) in combination with Grasshopper, the team was able to unroll the brain surface into a series of flat, polygonal vector drawings.

Fabrication

After lasercutting the pieces from mild steel, they were folded along perforated lines, welded and then meticulously finished and painted. Mylar and 3D printed structures were used for diffusion. Hand-soldered LED mesh was woven around an internal wire structure and programmed using a series of micro-controllers.

Digital Design and Prototyping

3D models and renderings are used to digitally prototype the brain and hone in on the various options for construction. What width should the borders around the cells be? How should the structure be suspended above the plinth and where should the electrical wires run? How does everything integrate?

Hand Drawings and Initial Form Finding

Initial hand sketches communicate various ways of describing the structure of the brain. How much resolution is needed to make it recognizable? What scale are the various parts? What would be the best way to prototype potential construction methods?