Aurora Domes

Background

The natural phonomenon of Aurora Borealis (in the northern hemisphere) oder Aurora Australis (in the southern hemisphere) is a display of light effects caused by ionised particles from the sun hitting the earths magnetic field. The electrically charged particles follow the magnetic field towards the pole, thereby exciting the upper layers of the atmosphere and causing them to glow. The magnetic field protects the earth and us from the sun’s radiation and the aurora display is a somewhat poetic visualisation.

Concept Proposal

I propose a project where domes are installed thoughout the city which comfortably fit two to four people inside. The domes are fitted with sensors and antennas to record electromagnetic waves passing through the air: radio, Wifi, mobile phone signals. The waves recorded are assigned to correcponding visuals and in real time projected onto the surface of the domes.
The visitors can enjoy the abstract display of colours and shapes and at the same time become aware of the amount of information passing through us at any time, invisible to our eyes.

This concept was initially conceived during a workshop at Fraunhofer Cerri Institute during the workshop Shaping Future.