Luminous Underwater Creatures

Together, they gave life to several luminous underwater creatures that found their home in the canals of Delft for the duration of the festival. The robotic animals are reminiscent of the colourful and unlikely beasts that haunt the deep seas of our planet as well as our imaginaries. Despite covering 71% of our planet, scientists have explored less than 5% of the oceans, making it difficult to realise what is lost when the delicate balance of the deep seas is lost to global warming. By drawing into the vast reservoir of potential that is our oceans, we can appreciate the fragility and beauty of these remarkable creatures we know so little about.

To make the mechanic underwater creatures at home in the canals of Delft, the students and Gabriela had to face multiple design challenges. The creatures must be water-proof and conducive to light, but also resistant and be able to host a myriad of electronic components. The results were delicate 3D jellyfishes made from scratch, several types of plastics, addressable LEDs, microcontrollers.

Gabriela Prochazka

Profile

Gabriela Prochazka has a focus on light art, immersive works and audiovisual collaborations. Some of her earlier underwater artworks have surfaced across Europe including at Signal Festival in Prague, RGB Light Fest in Rome and here in Delft in Towing Tank No.1

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gabrielaprochazka.com