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Giant interactive pinwheel adds fun to museum exterior

Giant interactive pinwheel adds fun to museum exterior

Designer George Zisiadis hopes to transform the way people see public space


By BD+C Staff | February 14, 2014
The pinwheel is driven by hidden microphones and connected motors.
The pinwheel is driven by hidden microphones and connected motors.

Interaction with the outside of a building isn't something that happens often, unless the passerby takes a picture or points out the design to someone else. George Zisiadis wants to change that with his new design for the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History

His proposed design intends to place a 10-foot pinwheel on the side of the building that is connected to tubes in the plaza below. If a person blows in the tube, the pinwheel will start spinning. Zisiadis says that he wants the exterior to have some of the interactive elements that are featured inside the museum. 

"They want people to engage with their art in a very hands-on way, which I find very empowering and inspiring," Zisiadis told Fast Company. "I wanted to extend this idea to the physical structure of the building itself.”

He wants to keep the mechanism driving the pinwheel mysterious in order to make the experience more fun for visitors, but it's pretty simple. When someone blows into the tube, hidden microphones pick up the sound and connected motors then make the pinwheel spin.

Zisiadis hopes that his design will encourage people to interact with the whole building and transform the way they perceive public space.

 

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