We're closed(っ˘̩╭╮˘̩)っfor good. Wir sind zu,für immer.(っ˘̩╭╮˘̩)っ
Slow Screen Robotic FaçadeKinetische Fassade
A kinetic façade stretching over the entire front of the MuDA. It is made of 805 mechanical pixels which can display patterns, images and text – at a very slow speed.
The idea of the Slow Screen was conceived during the construction of the MuDA. The initiators were faced with the dilemma that some exhibitions will have the need for sunlight, while others will require darkness, others somewhere in between. Whereas curtains usually are the obvious solution for this dilemma, it didn't feel appropriate for a museum of digital art.
First was a virtual simulation of the Slow Screen to visualise its mechanics. Try it out by pressing the 1 or 2 key on your keyboard (doesn't work on mobile).
The first working prototype, built with pixels made from cardboard and filled with rice to simulate the final weight.
The assembling of the Slow Screen. Seven mechanical elements where fitted onto each of the 115 columns, creating a total resolution of 805 pixels.
MuDA often explains digital technology by simply making its mechanics visible. This ignited the idea of building a screen that would stretch over the 100 square meters of the museum’s front: 805 physical pixels that can each rotate individually and therefore make it possible to control exactly how much light can come through the facade’s large windows.
Since it would have been financially impossible to deploy 805 motors to steer each one of these pixels, a system that only requires one motor per column was developed, positioning each pixel of the column starting from the bottom up, by alternating the direction of rotation. While this is very efficient in terms of resources, it also means that it takes about six minutes to build up an entire image, resulting in a frame rate of 10 images per hour. Hence the name.
While the Slow Screen is used to regulate the daylight, it can also run animations and display short messages (like here, announcing the Qubibi exhibition) towards the bustling street in front of the museum.
CreditsDirection: Christian Etter Project Manager: Caroline HirtProducers: Johanna Taubenreuter, Lucas UhlmannProduction: Etter Studio Engineering: Solution, Greenliff Metalwork: Fidel MorfAward: Swiss Design Award 2017
ThanksDanke Moritz Schuler, Ivo Hirt, Sabrina Cerea, Markus Pilz, Quang Thai, Beat Schuler, Irene Sibler, Caroline Lerch, Alexa Jeanne Kubser, Chantal Schuler, Quang Thai, Gomti Etter-Ravji, Marc Dörflinger, Justine Brevet, Dynamo Zürich, Max Schuler, Urban Etter, Patrick Ammann, Sheraton Zurich, Alexander Houben, Mattia Torsello
Hinderling Volkart
Greenliff