CLOCKWORK
Interior Artwork
APRIL 4, 2025
CITY OF FREMONT
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Concept
Our proposal is inspired by and combines the the rich cultural and natural context of Fremont. Clockwork combines Fremont’s role in the beginning of filmmaking, its cultural diversity, the local natural environment, and its contemporary role as an advanced manufacturing hub. Like the early silent films created in Fremont, Clockwork tells subtle stories through motion. By combining that motion with form, color, and reflectivity we are proposing a time based artwork that expresses multiple facets of the Central Park Community Center, its visitor, and the surroundings.
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FILM TECHNOLOGY MULTIPLICITY NATURE
Fremont We started our proposal by looking at the unique qualities of Fremont’s history, present, community, and natural context. Our proposal combines these qualities into a singular artwork that acts as a device for members of the community and visitors to reflect on how the various qualities of Fremont come together to create a magical experience.
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FILM TECHNOLOGY MULTIPLICITY NATURE
Before Hollywood,
Fremont was a center for
early silent film making.
An advanced manufacturing
hub with close proximity to
Silicon valley.
A strong diverse community
where 98 languages are
spoken.
Stunning parks, hiking vistas,
nature centers, and wildlife
refuge.
Fremont Our proposal combines the Fremont’s unique history in the film industry, its current advanced manufacturing industry, its diverse community, and the surrounding rich natural settings.
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Oculus Circular oculi have been used in classical architecture to connect the natural exterior world with the interior of civic buildings. We started with a circular form to represent this connection to the natural context of Fremont. A suspended circular form will also act in contrast to the glass clad cubic volume of the main entrance lobby.
Pantheon, Rome
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Panorama Pavilions in the round act as both landmarks from a distance in traditional English Gardens, but also act as inteiro spaces in the round that allow for panoramic views of the surrounding landscape. The pavilion in the round, is the precursor to the ubiquitous gazebo found in many garden landscapes. Gazebo is a playful combination of the word “gaze” and the latin suffix “ebo” or “I shall.” Coming together as “I shall gaze.” English Garden Pavilion, Palace of Versailles
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un- (anterior ellipse[s] as mangled container; or where edges meet to wedge and [un]moor) - Charisse Pearlina Weston, 2024
Perspective We slanted the outer surface of the suspended ring down towards the interior of the entrance lobby. This gives the ring an orientation that faces the view of visitors as they enter the community center. The artwork now becomes a dynamic lens for visitors to see their reflections and a filter through which they can see a combination of animated light and color that represents the natural context of Fremont.
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Lighthouse Fresnel Lens
Multiplicity We faceted the outer surface of the ring to give the plan facing visitors multiple orientations. While the overall form of the ring is intact, the numerous facets represents the multiplicity of cultures and perspectives found in Fremont. Like the articulated fresnel lens found in lighthouses, Clockwork’s faceted outer surface and lighting will act as an urban beacon within the glass clad entrance lobby of the community center.
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Atmosphere and Time The inner ring of the suspended artwork is a colorful gradient that will be transferred to mirrored acrylic. This gradient is a composite of the mapping of the daylight color scale over time in Fremont along with the color and annual blooming cycle of the flora found in Fremont’s parks and natural settings.
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Reflection and Mixing The faceted surface of the ring is clad in one-way mirrored acrylic so that it creates a kaleidoscopic reflection remixing images of visitors, the community center, and the context beyond the glass exterior of the entrance lobby. This unexpected remixing acts as a playful reminder that everything is connected.
Your Plural View - Olafur Eliasson, 2016
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Dynamic Beacon The lighting we are proposing is inspired by the simple mechanism of zoetropes which are the precursor to modern film. While zoetropes were the latest technology of their time to create previously unseen moving images, we are using the latest technology and data to create time-based behavioral lighting to activate Clockwork. Between the one-way mirrored acrylic and the color indexed interior is an array of programmable LED fixtures. These LEDs are driven by the natural cycles and real-time weather data, such as wind, found in Fremont.
Zoetrope
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Natural Color Index Our first strategy to great a color index that represents Fremont’s natural context was to map the primary colors of flora found in Fremont along with their annual blooming cycle.
Floral Index
Blooming Cycle
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Atmospheric Color Index We also looked at the various colors of light during the day as the spectrum of sunlight is filtered through the atmosphere and reflected off of clouds and the surface of the earth.
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Fremont Color Index We combined these color studies to create a volumetric gradient that acts as a color index of the natural environment found in Fremont.
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Inner Ring This color index will be UV printed on to mirrored acrylic that faces the interior of Clockwork.
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Behavioral Lighting As the LED fixtures animate with behaviors that represent real time wind data and temperature data along with daily, seasonal, and annual cycles they will highlight the color index. This composite of light, technology, and color within the form of a ring creates a contemporary oculus that expresses different scales of natural time found within Fremont.
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Dynamic Material The one-way mirror exterior becomes transparent as it is backlit by the LEDs exposing the vivid color index on the interior surface. As the faceted panels shift between reflective and transparent, the reflections of visitors and their surroundings come in and out of focus with the time-based light and color index.
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Proposal
Our proposal is a suspended artwork in the entrance lobby of the Central Park Community Center. Clockwork acts as a contemporary interpretation of the oculus and its connection with nature within classical civic architecture. Acting as a dynamic measure of Fremont’s atmosphere, environment, and natural context the suspended artwork also serves as a faceted lens the community of Fremont to reflect on its unique diversity. At night Clockwork acts as the lens within the cubic volume creating a beacon much like a lighthouse and guiding light.
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Overall View
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Plan (Approx. Artwork Weight 450 lbs)
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Elevation
Exterior View
View through West Entrance
View from West Entrance
View towards South Entrance
Light Animation Sketch
Exterior View at Night
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Programmable Lighting Various behaviors can be programmed based on available real-time atmospheric data such as wind speed and direction, temperature, and air pressure. The sketch below shows a range of quick behavioral studies that we would develop further.
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Previous work with integrated atmospheric light
These projects show examples of our work where we have integrated programmable LED arrays in to aluminum and brass tubes. The lighting animation is generative, which means it is always different and is meant to give a playful impression of atmosphere or air blowing through the spaces they inhabit. Not only does the lighting give each piece a dynamic quality, but also breathes life into static artworks.
Bluebonnet at TIAA’s new HQ in Frisco, TX
Halo at Google’s new Main Campus in Mountain View, CA Stratus for Vornado Realty in 315 Montgomery San Francisco, CA City of Fremont
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Construction
Our proposal uses a modular system of construction. The ring is made up of 24 cells that are connected together. The modular system and aluminum structure makes the artwork lightweight and easy to assemble. The lighting controls and wiring are all interchangeable and would integrated into the modular structure so they are easily replaced if necessary.
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Cellular modules Each of the 24 modules are connected to their neighbor to create the larger ring.
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Cellular modules The aluminum frame elements and acrylic of each module are laser cut to ensure precise attachment points and quick assembly.
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Assembly Each of the 24 modules will be pre assembled and delivered the site individually so they will fit through the various entrances. On site they will be connected and plugged into one another, then the ring will be lifted into place.
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Budget and Schedule
The following budget, materials/maintenance, and schedule is a preliminary outline based on the concepts we have
presented. We understand that the specifics of this would change through client feedback and design development.
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Weight, Materials, and Maintenance
Weight:
The overall weight of the artwork is 450 lbs and that weight can be distributed between 4-6 hanging points or 115 to 75 lbs per hanging point.
Material:
Structure - ⅛” Aluminum
Panels - ⅛” Acrylic with various finishes.
Lighting:
The LED fixtures will have a lifespan of 50,000 hours.
The lighting is based on a modular DMX controlled LED fixture and will be controlled by a PC housed in the artwork or a nearby utility closet.
This PC will have access to the internet and can be diagnosed remotely through a remote desktop application.
Power:
The artwork will require 1 20 amp circuit.
Maintenance:
Cleaning - Cleaning can occur on an annual basis, or only when necessary
Aluminum and Acrylic -wipe off dust with a soft cloth. If more cleaning is necessary, use a highly diluted mild soap in water and a soft towel or soft sponge to very gently clean. Rinse with a little water, then dry with another soft towel.
Avoid harsh chemicals
Damage & Replacement: If any of the acrylic panels are damaged, they can easily be replaced because of the modular nature of the construction.
A maintenance manual will also be provided with the delivery of the project.
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Budget
Services:
Design Development $12,000
Construction Documents $16,000
Prototype $5,000
Shop Drawings $12,000
Programming $8,000
Fabrication Oversight $6,000
Production:
Aluminum Structure $30,000
One Way Mirrored Acrylic $24,000
LED Fixtures $18,000
Colored Acrylic $16,000
Various Hardware $6,000
PC, Power Supplies, and Lighting Controllers $9,000 Pre-assembly $18,000
Installation (20% of Budget):
Crating/Packing $6,000
Shipping $4,000
Equipment Rental $6,000
Installation $20,000
10% Contingency $20,600
Total: $237,600
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Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Design Development
Construction Documents
Fabrication/Production
Prototypes
Crating/Shipping
Installation
General Schedule
Shop Drawings
Month 7 Month 8 Month 9 Month 10 Month 11 Month 12 City of Fremont
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Thank You
SOFTlab
soft-lab.com
Michael Szivos, Director/Founder