toyStudio

Swarm

On display November 8 – January 5

Swarm mimics the flocking behavior found in schools of fish and flights of birds through the movement of light. Stretching across the Arizona Canal, a series of programmable LED tubes illuminate at night, dancing and flickering as they express this natural swarming behavior. The tubes are suspended over the canal—positioned and angled as if they formed the flock or swarm themselves. During the day, the swarming behavior is expressed by opaque tubes. At night, the artwork truly comes alive as the illuminated Swarm reflects in the water.

Rigging design and installation by Hannon Rigging & Production

The Story of Water

Fish and many other water-based animals exhibit swarming behavior for a variety of reasons. This behavior has been translated into Swarm, bringing it above the surface to the water so it’s visible to Canal Convergence viewers. The form of the artwork is also like that of a river, or a canal, flowing through the landscape.

Biography

Toy Studio is a London-based design collective with a desire to create interesting and original pieces across the fields of art, architecture, and design. Founded in 2016 by Innes Shelley and Toby Plunkett, the studio uses digital tools for analysis, form generation, and fabrication. Plunkett and Shelley embrace a desire to create, craft, and champion new ideas, stories, and experiences for themselves and others—welcoming both challenges and opportunities. They believe in a collaborative method to generate and develop innovative projects with their clients and network of creative practitioners. Toy Studio has exhibited its work around the world, including the Islamic Arts Festival (United Arab Emirates), Houghton Festival (United Kingdom), the Fabrication Festival (United Kingdom), and Burning Man (Nevada), as part of a University of Westminster group.

Social Media

Instagram: @toy.uk

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Canal Convergence