Exploring Zephyr with Harvey Moon from Spectra Studios

Creating New Spaces: Interviews with artists redefining spaces through technology

Dec 1 2023 • 25 mins

Harvey Moon from Spectra Studio discusses creating 'Zephyr,' an interactive origami object that responds to visitors' breath and movement. Spectra Studio is a multidisciplinary collective based in Los Angeles. They create multi-sensory experiences meant to be shared. They work on experimental projects like 'Zephyr' and also provide services to clients. In the interview, we explore the Spectra Studio process and uncover some insightful reflections on how they might have approached prototyping differently in this project. We examine the nature of the interactions in the piece and how they contribute to shared experiences for the viewers. We also discuss the difference between Harvey's solo work and the collaborative work at Spectra Studio.

Highlights

(0:00:00) Dialogue with the audience vs. one-to-one interaction

(0:01:40) Description of Zephyr

(0:03:30) Connection between breath, reflection, and natural rhythms

(0:05:32) Sensing breath and CO2 levels

(0:06:07) Meditative response from visitors

(0:07:45) Consideration of sound in future prototypes

(0:08:38) Origami and breath as inspiration for Zephyr

(0:10:30) Focus on physical, kinetic, and sculptural experiences

(0:11:53) More unfinished projects than finished ones

(0:12:59) Challenges of scaling up and iterating the design

(0:13:38) Description of Spectra Studio and its collaborative process

(0:15:27) Balancing commercial work with artistic and creative work

(0:16:41) Everyone in the team wears multiple hats

(0:18:24) Working alone vs working collaboratively

(0:19:42) Lessons learned from the Zephyr project

(0:20:21) Balancing project complexity and constraints

(0:21:47) Current projects: travelling exhibit, projection dome, kinetic works

(0:22:20) Advice for those interested in kinetic work

About Harvey Moon

Harvey Moon is a new media artist who explores the intersection of technology and perception. He creates custom software, electronics, and kinetic systems to extend our understanding of the world and how technology influences our lives. Moon's art challenges audiences to question their perceptions and reflect on the role of technology in shaping our future.

Harvey Moon holds an MFA from DMA at UCLA and a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His work has been showcased internationally, including exhibitions at the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts and the Nuit Blanche Festival in Toronto. Currently, he resides and works in Los Angeles, California.

About Spectra Studio

Spectra Studio is a multidisciplinary collective based in Los Angeles, California. Spectra Studio combines art with the possibilities of technology to transform ideas into tangible, multisensory experiences meant for sharing. Experimental by nature, their practice is fueled by research, collaboration, and discovery. Spectra Studio's goal is to evoke emotions, express the inexplicable, and reflect on how we relate to the physical, the digital, and the

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