Fabrizio Galli's Work
Fern @ Nanyang Technological University (2017)
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FERN is a large bench designed for public space with a mobile phone charging system powered by renewable energy.
The project is a result of the “Public Art & Renewable Energy @ NTU” program, an interdisciplinary collaboration between the School of Art, Design and Media (ADM) at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), the Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N) and the NTU Museum.
DR3005-2014 Product Design class’ students were challenged to design a visually appealing, cost-effective and functional structure (furniture) for public space that could supply its own energy needs. The design proposal, inspired by the natural structure and shape of a fern dead leaf, was selected by an interdisciplinary committee for further development due to its aesthetic appeal and potential feasibility.
FERN, an 8,5 meters long by 2.3 meters high wooden bench, is now located at the second level of the recently renewed NTU North Spine Plaza.
The bench provides over 12 seats in a relaxed and comfortable arrangement. The structure is built out of laser cut steel structural elements and completed with wooden planks to simulate the fern leaves. The rusty finishing of the CORTEN steel and the matt oil finishing of the wooden parts emphasizes FERN nature’s inspiration. A grid of LEDs is displayed under the long wooden seat to light up when the environmental light level decreases. The 3 central higher leaves carry a set of PV panels to capture solar light and an energy storage system using supercapacitors (quick charging capability) is hidden within the metal structure.
Following the Dandelion project, FERN represents the second important stage of the collaboration within ADM, ERI@N and NTU Museum. It showcases the relevance of design among technological disciplines and it stimulates design appreciation as a fundamental value of the built environment.
The work was commissioned in 2014 and it is part of NTU Museum’s Renewable Energy Art and Public Art initiatives.
Acknowledgements:
ADM: Ms. Liew Ming Jia (Product Design Student), Ms. Jin Su Huan (Product Design Student), Mr. Eugene Tan (Product Design Student), Architect Fabrizio Galli (Visiting Artist)
ERI@N: Mr. Koh Eng Kiong (Senior Scientist)
NTU Museum: Mrs. Teh Eng Eng Faith (Deputy Director NTU Museum), Mr. Dennis Low (Engineering)
NTU President’s Office: Assoc. Prof. Kwok Kian Woon (Associate Provost, Student Life), Dr Kristen Sadler (Research Director/ Strategy & Bioscience, President’s Office)
Construction: Calvin Goh (Sin Chew Woodpaq Pte. Ltd.)
For more info about ideation, process, construction: https://fabriziogalli2014fern.wordpress.com/
Bloom (2017)
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Inspiration
Comberetum indicum (Quisqualis Indica Linn.), also known as Chinese Honeysuckle or Rangoon Creeper, is an Asian vine found either as a cultivated ornamental or in the wild. The unique flowers emerge white, change to pink and then turn into a deep red with delightfully sweet fragrance.
Quisqualis translated from Latin means “what is that?” a good description of what a passerby might exclaim.
Chinese Honeysuckle represents being “united in love” and devotion because of the flower’s clinging nature. Some believe that growing honeysuckle brings good luck and protects your home from evil. When you bring the flowers into your home they represent prosperity and money follows.
The Project
Bloom is located at LKC Medical School at Novena and consists on an installation, 18 flowers of 3 different sizes connected with vines, that extend horizontally on a 3 meters high by 11 meters long surface.
The project, situated on a high position in a space open to guests and café customers, aims to bring awareness to the growing realm of art and design coupled with the increasingly successful global efforts towards innovative materials, forms and energy conservation.
The flower-esque sculpture responds to people in the space below by opening and closing the flowers’ petals at people passage, creating an interaction with the viewers.
The flowers and the connecting vines glow, changing colors from white to red to blue, using LED strips hiding behind the anodized aluminum structures. The dynamic color changing is governed by weather’s conditions. A weather station allocated on site (in future at NTU campus) can draw sun, clouds, humidity and temperature parameters to influence Bloom colors cycle. The system is powered by renewable energy harvested by solar panels on site.
My Channel
Acknowledgements:
ADM: Ms. Nina Melanie Kong Yen Yen (Product Design Student), Ms. Low Si Wei Ivana (Product Design Student), Mr. Tozier Ryan Richard (Product Design Exchange Student), Mr. Gee Liam James Yee Wai (Product Design Exchange Student), Architect Fabrizio Galli (Visiting Artist),
ERI@N: Mr. Koh Eng Kiong (Senior Scientist)
NTU Museum: Mrs. Teh Eng Eng Faith (Deputy Director NTU Museum), Mr. Dennis Low (Engineering)
NTU President’s Office: Assoc. Prof. Kwok Kian Woon (Associate Provost, Student Life)
Dandelion Light Sculpture @ Nanyang Technological University (2015)
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Dandelion is a self-sustaining light sculpture, powered by renewable energy.
The context of the design was motivated by a site-specific public art for NTU Campus, at the School of Art, Design and Media (ADM).
The design, inspired by the natural shape of Taraxacum, is grounded on aesthetic, functionality and energy sustainability.
Dandelion is composed of seeds (59 units) and each is a self-sustaining power unit. Every seed holds 12 solar panels placed on the 3 wing,s to achieve a guaranteed result of having at least 4 panels exposed to sunlight. The seeds are secured on a structure (a Pentakis - Dodechaedron) that holds them on top of the stem. The seeds are interchangeable and the failure of one does not affect the entire system. Several experiments on renewable resources (piezoelectric, wind strings, PV panels) conducted by ERION were leading to the continuous readapting of the structural design and, after demonstrating a much greater efficiency, photovoltaic panels were adopted as the final solution on a design that satisfies technical requirement and aesthetic quality.
Dandelion has 236 LEDs placed on top of the seeds that can light up throughout the night. The photovoltaic panels work as light sensors and the supercapacitors’ charging system (quick charging capabilities) is used to cater for our local weather conditions.
THe body’s structural components are CNC machined in transparents UV resistant polycarbonate connected by Carbon-fiber tubes. The only metal part is the setm holding it up.
Dandelion has become an iconic example in NTU Campus of a successful interdisciplinary project based on the concepts of sustainability, function and beauty.
It showcases the relevance of design among all technological disciplines. It stimulates design appreciation as a fundamental value in a built environment such as Singapore.
The work was commissioned in 2012 by NTU Museum and it is part of the Museum’s Renewable Energy Art and Public Art initiatives..
Acknowledgements:
ADM: Architect Fabrizio Galli (Visiting Artist), Ms. Wee Yen Lynn (Product Design Student)
ERI@N: Mr. Koh Eng Kiong (Senior Scientist), Ms. Peng Li (Research Associate), Mr Chin Futt Chan (Senior Research Engineer)
NTU Museum: Mrs. Teh Eng Eng Faith (Deputy Director NTU Museum), Mr Dennis Low (Engineering)
NTU President’s Office: Assoc. Prof Kwok Kian Woon (Associate Provost, Student Life), Dr Kristen Sadler (Research Director/Strategy & Bioscience, President's Office)