The Eye of the Sun — A touch- and motion-sensitive, interactive, audio-visual
sculpture combining curiosity and solar physics
Tim Schneider, Gérard Kubryk, Vincenct Hulot, Matthieu Courgeon, David Poirier-Quinot, Frédéric Auchère, Frédéric Baudin, Éric Buchlin, and Xavier Maître
Abstract
In this paper, we present the Eye of the Sun, a solar composition for visitors, sensors, speakers, computers, lenses, mirrors and video projectors, in aluminium and acrylic. The Eye of the Sun is a motion- and touch-sensitive digital sculpture representing a gigantic human-like eye with a realistic aesthetic. The size of a human being, it is spherical, white and vascularized. It is connected to the surrounding world by an electrical optic nerve, has its own behaviour and is animated by rapid eye movements to scan the space around it. When spectators interact with the Eye in the right way, it unveils to the public the Sun as seen in the ultraviolet spectrum. The Eye of the Sun is a play on curiosity that seeks to redefine the spectator-artwork relationship.
​
Keywords
Interactive Art, Digital Art, Audio-visual, Touch-sensitive, Solar Physics, Astrophysics.