An unrealized electrostatic installation
Below is part of a detailed proposal prepared for me by an organometallic chemist I contacted via the Internet in 2005 and corresponded with over a two-year period. He had a website expressing a personal interest in static electricity, which made him ideally suited to assist me in the creation of my unrealized project, “Panikon deima.” The interactive installation consists of an octagonal room; when the participant enters, he or she will be engulfed in packing peanuts charged with static electricity, which would emerge from hidden receptacles after being attracted to the body.
Introduction:
This document was prepared, at the request of Cynthia Reynolds, to describe a possible design for an electrostatic system to power and control an interactive art exhibit.
Operation:
The following description refers to Figures 1 and 2 below. The patron enters the exhibit and grasps the patron pendant control box. When the person presses the start button on the control box, the Van de Graaf generators are activated and the ground switches opened, transferring electrical charge (positive in one plenum, negative in the other) to the polystyrene foam packing peanuts. Once the peanuts are sufficiently charged, timers in the main control box open solenoid valves to supply air to the air knives in the peanut plenums. The resulting breeze blows the charged peanuts through the lower slot in the plenums, into the exhibit and onto the patron. The charged peanuts will cling to the patron, who is grounded via contact with the pendant control box. Also, since the peanuts from each plenum contain opposite charges, the peanuts will cling aggressively to one another, forming a thick coating on the patron. After sufficient peanuts have been delivered to the exhibit, timers in the main control box shut off the air knives, Van de Graaf generators and close the ground switches. The peanut coated person is then left to contemplate their predicament, until they press the stop button, or another timer in the main control box activates the shut down sequence. Upon receiving the stop signal, the main control box will provide power to the ion air knives. The resulting flow of ionized (electrically conductive) air will neutralize the charges on the peanuts and blow them off of the patron and back into the peanut plenums. The person could then choose to repeat the experience, or enter the changing room to reclaim their personal items and exit the exhibit.
An external operator can monitor and record the action via a video system. The operator pendant control box also allows monitoring of the control system and provides start and stop functions to override the patron control box, if necessary.
An unrealized electrostatic installation
Below is part of a detailed proposal prepared for me by an organometallic chemist I contacted via the Internet in 2005 and corresponded with over a two-year period. He had a website expressing a personal interest in static electricity, which made him ideally suited to assist me in the creation of my unrealized project, “Panikon deima.” The interactive installation consists of an octagonal room; when the participant enters, he or she will be engulfed in packing peanuts charged with static electricity, which would emerge from hidden receptacles after being attracted to the body.
Introduction:
This document was prepared, at the request of Cynthia Reynolds, to describe a possible design for an electrostatic system to power and control an interactive art exhibit.
Operation:
The following description refers to Figures 1 and 2 below. The patron enters the exhibit and grasps the patron pendant control box. When the person presses the start button on the control box, the Van de Graaf generators are activated and the ground switches opened, transferring electrical charge (positive in one plenum, negative in the other) to the polystyrene foam packing peanuts. Once the peanuts are sufficiently charged, timers in the main control box open solenoid valves to supply air to the air knives in the peanut plenums. The resulting breeze blows the charged peanuts through the lower slot in the plenums, into the exhibit and onto the patron. The charged peanuts will cling to the patron, who is grounded via contact with the pendant control box. Also, since the peanuts from each plenum contain opposite charges, the peanuts will cling aggressively to one another, forming a thick coating on the patron. After sufficient peanuts have been delivered to the exhibit, timers in the main control box shut off the air knives, Van de Graaf generators and close the ground switches. The peanut coated person is then left to contemplate their predicament, until they press the stop button, or another timer in the main control box activates the shut down sequence. Upon receiving the stop signal, the main control box will provide power to the ion air knives. The resulting flow of ionized (electrically conductive) air will neutralize the charges on the peanuts and blow them off of the patron and back into the peanut plenums. The person could then choose to repeat the experience, or enter the changing room to reclaim their personal items and exit the exhibit.
An external operator can monitor and record the action via a video system. The operator pendant control box also allows monitoring of the control system and provides start and stop functions to override the patron control box, if necessary.