In Bloom, UK
In Bloom is an interactive light and sound sculpture that invites visitors to play, listen, and reflect together. Taking the form of a stylised plant, the artwork creates an open-ended sensory experience where light acts as a shared language.
Inspired by the process of flower pollination, In Bloom draws a parallel between nectar, essential to pollinators’ survival, and music as a form of nourishment for humans. Through touch, light, and sound, the sculpture explores how individual actions combine to form a larger, interconnected system.
The sculpture is composed of ten individual stems, each supporting a glowing spherical “flower”. These elements radiate from a central cylindrical body that discreetly houses all technical equipment and control systems.
Each sphere is formed from frosted polyethylene, acting as a soft diffuser for fully addressable LEDs housed within. The lighting design prioritises gentle luminosity over spectacle. Colour transitions are smooth, and brightness levels are carefully calibrated to remain intimate rather than overpowering. The result is a sculptural presence that feels approachable and legible both up close and at a distance.
Touch-sensitive sensors embedded within the sculpture trigger both light and sound responses. Each interaction produces a musical note belonging to the pentatonic scale, ensuring harmonic coherence regardless of how many participants are involved. The system encourages collaborative play rather than simple cause-and-effect responses.
Light is mapped directly to sound, pairing each note with a specific hue to create a balanced relationship between tonal structure and colour perception. Changes are generated in real time using custom Arduino-based control, translating sensor data into dynamic DMX signals that animate the LEDs. This close relationship between sound and light allows visitors to perceive music visually as well as aurally.
The visual language of In Bloom is deliberately unified. Curved stems, spherical flowers, and a cylindrical core establish a consistent formal vocabulary that supports the sculpture’s gentle light behaviour and tonal sound palette. Form, light, and interaction are conceived as a single coherent system.
Through its interactive structure, In Bloom reflects on interdependence, echoing the role of pollinators within natural ecosystems. Light is treated not as static illumination, but as a responsive medium shaped by shared participation.
In Bloom was funded by Creative Scotland. It has been exhibited at The Enchanted Forest, Battersea Power Station Light Festival, and Canary Wharf Winter Lights, and is currently touring.