Heliotropium
A solar collaboration between Gijs van Bon and Roland Blok
Heliotropium is an ongoing experimental research project between tech artists Gijs van Bon and Roland Blok. The goal of the project is to use physics as art form in public space.
Heliotropium redirects sunlight, and can do two things:
- create sunspots to enlighten locations, people and objects
- create rhythmic flashes
The current experimental stage is that the technology and construction work properly and we are exploring further how we can work with this redirected sunlight, what the limitations and what the effect is.
Installation at Dutch Design Week 2022 - Eindhoven, Netherlands
The installation consists out of six mirrors with their own mount to reflect the sunlight towards the audience and put them in a sun-spotlight. The installation moves the mirrors such that they reflect the sunlight towards or near them. The mirrors motion and direction are computer controlled.
The wonderous history of the Heliograph
At the start of the 18th century a Dutch scientist Willem Jacob’s Gravesande, who was instrumental in introducing Newton’s work to the Netherlands, invented the Heliostat (Greek for stationary sun). It catches the sun, is used to study it. But also used to illuminate the darker places during day. In current sciences it is even used to create solar thermal power.
As time goes, the apparatus developed to the Heliograph. It is an apparatus to use the sun to communicate over long distances. Sometimes static networks of hundreds of miles were created. Other times they are setup add-hoc.
Being inspired by the history, the intricate mathematical motion of the
sun, the possibility to automatically control mirrors and to communication
and interact on the basic level with people, leads to the proposal of the
art-project Heliotropium.
The Future
The future is full of ideas. We envision the possibility for larger mirrors, separately controlled to interact with an audience.
Possibilities are endless when involving people detection to start interacting. We could add colours to the mirrors. And change the shapes of the mirrors to play with the spot-lights.
Heliotropium is open for commission
If you would like to a cooperation, don’t hesitate. Contact Roland and or Gijs.