HVAC: Revamp

The Green building is the tallest building on the MIT campus and is an iconic feature of the Cambridge skyline. At the base of the Green building, there are two 20' diameter exhaust vents. HVAC: Revamp was an art installation that used one of these vents to power a bubble generator. The simple machine, which we designed, fabricated and installed at MIT over a course of one week, engaged unseen elements to explore how modern architectural structures affected air quality and wind currents on campus. The installation transformed a public circulation space on the MIT campus with clouds of soap bubbles that were released by the exhalations of the building, unlocking a world of unseen vectors through which we pass daily. Our intent was to create a site-specific sculpture that sparked intrigue and invoked the sense of shared participation in a social event. The project was funded by an MIT Council for the Arts grant in 2005.