Diffusion Choir
Celebrating collaboration and wellness with a kinetic sculpture inspired by nature.
Diffusion Choir is a kinetic sculpture commissioned by Biomed Realty for its building at 650 East Kendall Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Sosolimited partnered with Plebian Design and Hypersonic to design, program, and fabricate this unique artwork.
The sculpture celebrates the organic beauty of collaboration by visualizing the movements of an invisible flock of birds. Four hundred folding elements form a hanging volume in the sunlit atrium. Each element can independently open and close, controlled by custom software running a flocking algorithm.
The movements of the sculpture are perpetually evolving, driven by the flocking simulation. Over the course of each hour, smaller groups of birds coalesce into a single entity, soaring through the air in fluid collaboration. At each quarter hour, the birds gather and perform special choreographed gestures across the sculpture.
The sculpture reflects the collaborative and innovative spirit of the work happening in the building. The graceful breath-like movements of the piece create an open, contemplative space for all the inhabitants of the building to enjoy.
Watch the Making Of Diffusion Choir.
Client
BioMed Realty Trust
Collaborators
Hypersonic
Plebian Design
Services
Creative Direction
Design & User Experience
Software Development
Project Management
As the birds virtually fly through the area, they cause the sculptural elements to individually open and close.
The sculpture conjures a community of living beings breathing in harmony.
Custom software communicates with each individual element and creates continuous movements.
Press & Accolades
“It’s a kinetic sculpture made up of hundreds of small, origami forms that shrink and expand, appear and disappear, to produce large-scale shapes that are simultaneously spellbinding and transient.”
