Interactive cloud to illuminate SPECTRA

12 January 2017

A giant interactive cloud created from 6,000 incandescent light bulbs will take centre stage at this year’s SPECTRA Festival in Aberdeen.

CLOUD, created by Canadian artists Caitlind r.c. Brown and Wayne Garrett uses pull chain switches and everyday domestic light bulbs to create an enveloping, and mesmerising environment of light.

Viewers interact with CLOUD by working as a collective to animate the lightning on the surface of the sculpture.

Simple, bright and playful, CLOUD is an interactive installation. Viewers engage with pull chains and become part of the performance by creating different dynamics, collaborations and through experiential participation.

The sculpture also encourages the audience to reconsider household items in an alternative context, waste and environmental sustainability in urban spaces. As incandescent bulbs are phased out various countries around the world, the CLOUD will gain new meaning, encouraging alternative technologies and changing futures.

Councillor Marie Boulton, Deputy Leader of Aberdeen City Council, said: “CLOUD will be one of the most eagerly anticipated installations at this year’s SPECTRA Festival.

“Its unique composition will allow visitors to interact with the installation to create a constantly changing piece of art. It is visually stunning and has been displayed across the globe, from Singapore to Jerusalem and from Calgary and Prague.”

Canadian artists Caitlind r.c. Brown and Wayne Garrett have been collaborating regularly since 2011 and work with diverse mediums and materials, ranging from artificial light to re-appropriated urban objects.

The first edition of CLOUD was commissioned for Nuit Blanche Calgary in 2012. A second edition was commissioned by Garage Museum of Contemporary Art for Art Experiment 2013 in Moscow.

Their practice combines divergent aesthetic and industrial backgrounds, often resulting in transformative public sculptures and installations. Enticing viewers with interactive contexts and novel materials, their projects invite strangers to share in experiential moments, prompting collaborative viewership.