Skye Gao | Sentient Complex: Cybernetic Ecology for Spacial Formation

Sentient Complex is a project that consists of an ecology of responsive agents that attempt to collectively identify and perceive the emerging behavior of the visitors. Considered as an extension of the function of architecture, this complex of agents suggests new hybrids that span across different dimensions and forms.


Sentient Complex is a project that investigates in the fields of interactive architecture where spaces are considered as capable of sensing and actuating. With the advancement of related technology, the perception of architecture is becoming more fluid. Architecture is no longer considered as static or exists on human terms, but rather as living entities able to respond and adapt to changing conditions. Such notions of responsiveness and involvement allow architectural space to engage in conversations as well as reciprocal experience with its occupants, and ultimately have it become a more sentient presence. This project, hence, investigates an alternative consideration of architecture as living, sentient presence which, along with its occupants, constitutes a system where communication is primarily elicited by sentience and empathy is perceived through mutual experience.

The project consists of an ecology of responsive agents that attempt to collectively identify and perceive the emerging behavior of the visitors. It focuses on kinetic interactions, examining forms of non-verbal dialogue between human and architectural agency. Considered as an extension of the function of architecture, this complex of agents suggests new hybrids that span across different dimensions and forms. Each of the agents shares a similar appearance consisting of a rotating surface embedded with sensor and lights to inform the interaction with the visitors, and also a main body of actuators which drives its motion. In a darkened environment, the agents are attached to several self-standing supporting structures, and are distributed with different positions and orientations to form a spatial configuration.

By responding to the stimuli in their surroundings independently, the complex of agents constantly re-configure the spatial formation and presents a functional and aesthetic potency in harnessing emergent patterns of behavior from the cybernetic system. Such a behavior pattern, with much room for speculation and development, is considered as a potentiality for connecting the sense of artificial life with architectural space. By endowing the architectural agents sentience and personalities, this project seeks to create a sensation of communication between independent agents which is not only compelling, but also, in some cases, emotionally affective.

Tags:#ResponsiveSpace#Cybernetics#HMI