Social Firefly
For the Vivid 2011 festival, Events New South Wales commissioned Jason McDermott and Liam Ryan (of Arup) and Frank Maguire to design, construct and install an innovative light artwork in Circular Quay, Sydney. Being a part of the Vivid festival, this project offered us a chance to showcase design innovation in a high profile public art commission, which was installed in a prominent site and spectacular location. Social Firefly is a community of friendly intelligent lights. Anyone can communicate with the fireflies by shining their own lights onto the community.
The fireflies are programmed to respond to light from their neighbours, what follows is an organic and spontaneous demonstration of social interaction. Popular fireflies become highly influential, whilst isolated fireflies must work harder to reach their friends. By shining lights on to the fireflies, audience members speak the same language and influence the interaction between community members. Through this process some of the subtleties of human impact on natural systems are engagingly illustrated.
Social Firefly in action from Informal Dialogue on Vimeo.
Arup’s project team carried out all aspects of the project from beginning to end. The team members used their diverse skill set to deliver an innovative and engaging piece of work which demonstrated a holistic design practice, an innovative development process and a captivating public engagement. Arup staff designed, built and installed the artwork in a large fig tree on the water’s edge of Circular Quay Sydney. See video footage below: Early prototype During production Testing In situ Public Interaction
An Innovative Development Process
Arup utilized rapid manufacturing technologies to iterate design elements quickly and readily move to accommodate needs of the components within. The form, the electronics and firefly behaviour each depended on the needs of the other and therefore had to develop in synergy. Over the 8 week period over 15 physical prototypes developed through the process and 20 iterations of the behavioural algorithms used to generate fluid organics movement.
The batch fabrication methods used allowed Arup to develop the firefly casings and internal components that are true first of their kind, never having been seen before this installation. The fabrication technologies included SLA 3D printing, plywood and acrylic laser cutting, polystyrene vacuum forming. Each unit contained 95 components all sourced individually for this project, 30 bespoke components designed and fabricated by in-house talent. Over 4800 parts in total to bring the fireflies into the tree.
Innovative Technology platform
The software was developed using the open source software and hardware platform Arduino, further developing innovative processes to the Arup field of practice. By utilizing this platform, Arup was able to rapidly develop the electronics components controlling movement through servo motors and lighting through control hardware. The electronic components were sourced and constructed specifically for this project. Arduino Pro mini, formed the core control component.
The lamp technology was integral to the design. Each firefly houses a highly energy efficient 7W Philips MasterLED lamp, with 80% energy savings over traditional hallogen lamps. The reduction in waste heat energy alone was an important factor in making these light robots possible.
Social Firefly fit in beautifully with the aims of the festival which are to attract people in the City of Sydney precinct during the cold winter months with an exciting and engaging light artwork.
This project delivered it’s subtle messages about the interconnected relationships with the world around us and captivated the participating public in engaging with the story for the world as a whole.
Social Firefly was extremely well received by the visiting audience including Arup staff, clients and the general public. Across the 18 days of installation the work, as a part of the Vivid festival, was seen by an estimated 400,000 people and helped to generate over $10 million in economic benefit for the state of New South Wales, Australia.
In 2011, Vivid Sydney cemented its popularity, as over 400,000 attendees from Sydney, Australia and the rest of the world experienced events around Circular Quay from the Sydney Opera House to The Rocks.
Vivid Sydney executive producer, Ignatius Jones, said the success of the festival was a credit to the passion and talent of the creative teams involved in the event. Reminiscing the dazzling display of sound and lights Jones added, “it’s been a fantastic journey this year and an absolute pleasure to work with Events NSW who have a strong vision to create a festival that puts Sydney on the map globally as the creative hub of the Asia Pacific.” Events NSW estimate Vivid Sydney will generate up to $10 million in economic benefit for the State.
Product Quality
Social Firefly was a standout project, in that the project team carried out all aspects of the project from beginning to end. The team members used their diverse skill set to deliver an innovative and engaging piece which demonstrated a holistic design practice, an innovative development process and a compelling public engagement.
Showcase of Holistic Design Practice
The team members took their diverse skill sets and worked towards a public expression of the uncanny, the unexpected and the delightful patterns that emerge in human social networks. Liam Ryan is an industrial designer and sustainability engineer with Arup advising on transition pathways to a low carbon future. Frank Maguire is a designer and lecturer with a bent for bringing technology closer to the human experience. Jason McDermott is an informatics designer at Arup, internationally awarded for his artworks which reveal our connection to place.
Social Firefly is a demonstration of how interaction design can be dynamic, beautiful and playful, as well as teaching us about our relationship to other creatures with which we share this earth. Inspiration came from lateral and cellular communication systems such as those used by fireflies in synchronizing their rhythms and slime molds in movements through caves, which collided with network theories and cascading relationships between the parts and the whole. These were then shaken together with the Vivid 2011 theme of Fiat Lux and user centered interaction design to create the light installation that is Social Firefly.
The industrial design of the fireflies was also new to Arup in the development of the physical form in overcoming the environmental demands of the site including wind and rain, as well as it’s functional and behavioral abilities as an independent robotic light object. The form’s design had to account for the process of installation as well as the interaction of the fireflies within the ecosystem. From the bracket which attached each firefly to the tree without harming the tree or dropping out onto the public to the locations of the fireflies light sensors oriented to maximize interaction with the audiences and other fireflies’ light.
An Innovative Development Process
Arup utilized rapid manufacturing technologies to iterate design elements quickly and readily move to accommodate needs of the components within. The form, the electronics and firefly behaviour each depended on the needs of the other and therefore had to develop in synergy. Over the 8 week period over 15 physical prototypes developed through the process and 20 iterations of the behavioural algorithms used to generate fluid organics movement.
The batch fabrication methods used allowed Arup to develop the firefly casings and internal components that are true first of their kind, never having been seen before this installation. The fabrication technologies included SLA 3D printing, plywood and acrylic laser cutting, polystyrene vacuum forming. Each unit contained 95 components all sourced individually for this project, 30 bespoke components designed and fabricated by in-house talent. Over 4800 parts in total to bring the fireflies into the tree.
The software was developed using the open source software and hardware platform Arduino, further developing innovative processes to the Arup field of practice. By utilizing the open source hardware and software platform of Arduino, Arup was able to rapidly develop the electronics components controlling movement through servo motors and lighting through control hardware. The electronic components were sourced and constructed specifically for this project. Arduino Pro mini, formed the core component.
The autonomous bio-mimicry of each firefly unit was enhanced through the use of behavioural algorithms. Each firefly works within the limits of it’s own energy levels working against the fatigue levels of continuous light sensing. Together these worked to regulate the bahaviour without prescribing precise interactions and movements. By using this method the firefly community was able to develop a natural and organic behaviour that was emergent and only fully evident in-situ within the tree itself.
The fireflies were designed as autonomous individuals with very similar components and behaviour programming. A core aim of the project was to develop an organic emergent behaviour within the individual fireflies and across the community. Once installed into the environment and laid out according to the branches of a tree, as the interactions and complexities of the system influenced their programmed abilities, an emergent behaviour was seen to develop.
Compelling Public Engagement
Social Firefly’s strength came forward once the work was installed in place. Arup’s abilities in project management and safe work methodology shone through in delivering this project on time and within budget, and a safe delivery in a very public space.
Social Firefly public interaction from Informal Dialogue on Vimeo.
As a part of the Next Gen BD, the work was able to generate good interest from Arup clients who were exposed to some of the innovative project delivery methods that this work undertook. Staff members also personally presented the work of the installation to public and clients growing the Arup presence.
In broader term team members the Social Firefly were invited to Public Speaking events to promote the Arup working methods used in Developing Social Firefly.
The public’s engagement with the artwork was profoundly positive and emergent in itself, with certain audience members engaging in unexpected and emotional ways.