Vital Rhythms

Completion: 2021

Location: Colorado State University Animal Health Complex, Denver, CO

Description: Reinterpreting the electrocardiogram (ECG) vital signs of horses at various modes of activity, the blips form an expansive and dimensional mural of a horse. The vital signs are parametrically arranged into horizontally stacked rectangular tropical hardwood pieces of varying sizes and stains along a lattice framework to create a legible image. Recontextualizing pieces of wood slats, the traditional material of horse stables and barns, the composition becomes a contemporary sculptural expression that speaks to the pioneering animal health research, discovery, and innovation taking place within the Animal Health Complex.

Vital Rhythms creates different visual experiences depending on the viewers vantage point. From afar, viewers witness an expansive portrait of a horse that will subtly change throughout the day as the dimensional elements of the artwork will cast different shadows patterns with the movement of the sun. As people come closer, the artwork becomes more abstracted as viewers notice that the portrait is composed of individual pieces of wood in the form of ECG data visualization, inspiring a sense of discovery for visitors and poetically connecting past and present.

Design Optimization/Management: METALAB