Aura: The Final Product

OK - As promised, it's time to share some photos from our final installation for Nuit Blanche 2012! Without further delay, here are some shots:

 

The Aura team would like to thank everyone who came out to give a helping hand throughout the process. Aura really would not have been possible without the support of our many volunteers and faculty advisors. Despite being illuminated for a mere twelve hours, we certainly feel the final product was worth all the hard work. Stay tuned for our next project! 

Aura: The On-Site Installation

After recuperating from last weekend's Nuit Blanche events the team is excited to share some photos of the final on-site construction/installation process. With an intensive two day construction process through all hours of the day and night, the team managed to complete the installation just in time. Here are some shots documenting the process:

Filip and Tony waiting for the crosswalk at Church and Gould shipping our framing units to site

In true Nuit Blanche fashion - erecting our framing by moonlight

Our framing in place ready for tarps and panels

As part of the contingency plan, the team decided to install tarps above the structure. This ensured dark conditions inside the alley and kept any chance of rain from affecting the installation.

Due to the tight on-site time constraints, the team was forced to bring in work lights to get the panel assembly started on Friday night

Our trooper volunteers Ariel Cooke and Rachel Law who were our security guards on Saturday morning. Also - a huge thanks to Cassandra Murphy and Gary Luk for sticking it out overnight so the assembly team could get a couple hours sleep. 

Shauna cleaning up all the vinyl tubing mess peeking out from below the panels

Our electrician Andrew completing our final wiring on site

I guess when working 18 hours a day you're bound to have some odd-faced photos of Nick

A peek from above at our overhead segment coming together

The final lighting test once the panels were suspended in place 

Stay tuned for some final Nuit Blanche photos coming in our next post!

More Coverage on Aura at Nuit Blanche

BlogTO
Can you blame the visitors for their enthusiasm and excitement?

From the Best and Worst of Zone B Nuit Blanche:
"An interactive light tunnel? Sign me up! This was close to being a hit for me, but by the time I rolled through, the installation seemed to have taken a bit of a beating, which seemed to diminish the lighting effects."

Early Media Mentions + Teaser Pics

Digital Journal:

The Torontoist:

She Does The City:

Ryerson Today:

Social Media:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/68034008@N02/8041003047/in/photostream/
http://www.mobypicture.com/user/biancafiloteo/view/13903718

Stay tuned for some more shots of the final product! Here's a teaser...

Home Stretch

As Nuit Blanche draws closer and closer (tomorrow!), the Aura team has been working hard to ensure a strong finish.  With all the final mock-up completed, we spent the week completing the panels.  All of the dowels were inserted and syringes filled with, an effort that could not be completed with the many volunteers that came to help.

Each of the panels were organized by two vertical wall-mounted sections and overhead, and then within each section the panels were connected by tubing filled with water attached to the syringes.  This proved to be the quite tedious as each panel had 64 syringes and we had to ensure that tubing was secured properly and connected to the right panel.  After a few days of hard work, we succeeded!  Currently we are attaching the last bit of fabric to the remaining panels and will then transfer them over to the site to be attached to the framing.  Stayed tuned for more photos and updates!

Each of the syringes were placed in a pool of water so that the dowels could be pulled to fill the syringes

The Aura team and volunteers ensuring that the syringes are filled correctly

A closer up of the dowels on the panels before fabric is attached.

Panels were arranged as they would be when connected to the framing so that right panels are connected to each other.

Various length of tubing was cut and filled with water depending on the distance between connecting dowels.

The tubing was then attached to each panel.

A view of a completed set of panels connected with tubing.  When the panels are illuminated light will also penetrate to the back of the panels and illuminate the syringes.

A view of our great volunteers who spent time helping us connect all those tubes!

A close-up view of the syringe connected to the back of a panel with fabric attached.

Almost there! A few more panels left to attach fabric to

View of a completed panel with fabric attached.

Close of outer fabric membrane with the some dowels extended.

Aura Begins to Shine

Between assembling the illuminated panels and talking to Vince, the Aura team took a few moments to discuss their project with the media, including the university's Eyeopener newspaper.  Aside from looking quite engaged with their own work, the team was well represented by Tony as he described the project's mandate to "put architectural science and Ryerson on the map as as cutting-edge campus that knows [its] stuff."  Good job so far!

Let's see if James' dialogue with the Ryersonian folks will elaborate upon this more!

Improving Assembly and Overhead Panel Construction

One of the many benefits to building a full scale mock-up is finding new ways to improve upon the installation for the final set-up on Sept 29th.  Previously, the Aura team completed one side of the ribbon, and while we were happy with how it came together, we felt it could use some improvement in the construction phase.  In construction the next phase of the ribbon, we used a hinge connection between the panels that greatly improved the time and ease of connecting nine panels at an angular layout.  It also resulted in a cleaner looking segment that achieved the result we intended when we first began designing and modelling the Aura installation.

A shot of our hinge connection.  This allowed us to easily secure the panels before mounting the conduit and also enabled us to determine the right angle that each panel would be placed at as each panel could be manipulated to achieve the right look.

The hinge connection also also cut down our construction time  as well as the number of people needed for setting up each panel, thus making the overall construction more efficient.  

The second section of our ribbon showing the angular layout of the panels.  

Our work over the weekend also involved completing the overhead phase of the ribbon, which proved to be quite challenging.  We wanted to ensure that the right transition would occur from the wall mounted panels to the overhead ones and allowed for us to determine the best way to assemble them on-site.  Each panel is first raised with rope and the lifted in place.  We then secure the panels with the braided steel cables and then the next panel is added sequentially.  Once the panels have been attached to each other and the frame we then began to adjust the angle and placement of each to ensure the correct form.  

As shown in our initial mock-up, each of the panels are suspended by braided steel cables fastened to an eye bolt. 

Undershot of the overhead panels with hinge connections. 

Fastening the hinge connections to the panels.

Lifting the third panel in place.

Determining how best to transition the overhead panels to the vertical (wall mounted) panels.

View of overhead panels from above.

View from end segment of ribbon.  This is just 1/2 of the overhead condition as a symmetrical segment would continue on the other side.  

Close up of the panels and their seams.

View from underneath panels looking towards the end of the segment

Panels lit up to make sure everything is properly connected and to demonstrate the overhead illumination.  

The Aura team documenting their work.

View of panels from below.

Fil (6'-3) demonstrating how high the panels are suspended (7'-0" at its highest)

Stay tuned this week for more updates as it is sure to be busy with Nuit Blanche fast approaching!