SIGNAL

“Power of Consequence” was a phased interactive installation at the 2017 Seattle Design Festival that embraced the individual’s power to change a system. A refined, coarse steel mesh pavilion presented 210 plaster objects in a delicate, tactile personal gallery experience. Visitors were invited to touch the art. This prompted discovery, manipulation, and ownership; consequences of phase one.

Interaction during phase two was amplified, challenging visitors to embrace the beautiful forms while then shattering them on a steel platform. As the pile of broken fragments grew in the background, comments of catharsis, fear, empathy, and wonder grew into talks about energy, politics, ethics, goodwill, waste, and commitment.

In the waning hours of the exhibit, and unplanned phenomenon occurred. The public took ownership of the debris and began to reinstall the broken objects into the exhibit. Debris became the exhibit, and the passerby the curator. Without words, the community concluded the exhibit with its own metaphor for change.