We collaborated with Wit Pimkanchanapong, Hajime Narukawa  and Jiro Endo under “Soi Project” in the installation which is part of Digital Art Festival Tokyo 2007 taking place at Panasonic Center Tokyo.

The idea is to create interactive installation in public space with the most “Lo-Fi” way. The elements used would all be banal objects from stationary shop or typical hobby shop in Akihabara. With limited budget, we were interested to work with magnets because they can multiply small movements to larger effect with simple logic like “pendulum.” We “RENT” (only possible in Japan, I guess) 4,000 pieces of magnets and stick them onto the paper discs that hung by steel rails. The project is called Air Domino because as soon as one paper disc moves it creates ripple effect to those next to it without touching physically.

The only electical system we used in the Airdomino are the driving arms which are connected to the home made sensor system (as well bought from Akihabara.) There are total of 100 driving arms made of Tamiya gear boxes (used in toy car) in the whole installation. The optimal system are able to create the movement of those 2,000 paper discs coving 200 square meters. Whenever there is a movement underneath the sensor the Air Dominos activate. With minimum technology involved, we were able to create a socalled “interactive installation” in the Digital Art Festival!!!!

The first testing prototype of the domino system, Osaka 2007

Mechanical test prototype tested with fire-proof honeycombs

The first completed set of the Air domino system, Tokyo 2007

Air domino module first test at Panasonic Center at Aiake, Tokyo 2007

Shadow effect created by the movement of Air Domino

Air Domino fully operated as a part of Digital Art Festival Tokyo 2007