Tree-shaded screen: A Propeller type screen for Public Art

Abstract

Tree-shaded screen is a novel artwork for the public space. One can also think of it as a novel virtual reality system. The artwork consists of a surround couch, a column, and a propeller with six blades. When we sit down on the couch, we can see the propeller above. A high reflective screen material on the propeller's blades brightly reflects the images that are projected by two projectors. The display uses human's afterimages to form a complete continuous display. This artwork is like a short resting place for people, a metaphor for a mother tree that shades many creatures in nature. This artwork was designed for an installation in the Haneda airport, which is the biggest airport in Japan. We use birds as a metaphor of airplanes. Birds' behavior animation is projected on the propellers. The birds behavior is synchronized with a flight timetable of the Haneda airport. The couch looks like a bird's nest made from a new material. We exhibited the tree-shaded screen at an open-campus and evaluated it. We will exhibit this artwork in the Haneda airpot in October 2009.