{"id":3772,"date":"2011-07-06T21:07:04","date_gmt":"2011-07-06T21:07:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/?p=3772"},"modified":"2025-11-14T14:10:15","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T21:10:15","slug":"living-art-philip-beesley-and-simon-heijdens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/living-art-philip-beesley-and-simon-heijdens\/","title":{"rendered":"Living Art: Philip Beesley and Simon Heijdens"},"content":{"rendered":"

Art has always embraced the technologies of the times to expand the forms of universal expression. So as technology becomes more sophisticated, and thus more costly, one must frequently turn to large public projects to discover what artists can do with new tools. Two large building projects nearing completion in Salt Lake City this fall will allow Utah to witness two such projects by internationally recognized artists. While architect Philip Beesley is creating scientific structures that have the grace and form of artworks, Dutch designer Simon Heijdens creates art installations that really on sophisticated technology for their stunning effects. Both share an interest in delving into the power of site.<\/p>\n

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\nPhilip Beesley<\/strong>
\nAfter a long, and sometimes precarious, birthing struggle the Leonardo is scheduled to open its doors this fall in Salt Lake City. The museum’s transformation of the old Salt Lake library into a celebration and exploration of science, art and technology, will include a number of temporary and permanent art installations by local artists (which will be the subjects of future editions). The museum is also looking to national and international artists to create installations that will explore the crossroads of technology, engineering and art.<\/span><\/p>\n

This summer the Leonardo will host Canadian architect Philip Beesley as he installs\u00a0Hylozoic Ground<\/em>, a revolutionary project that explores how buildings of the future might move, think and feel.\u00a0Three quarters of a million people have seen the project in Britain, Spain, Austria, Holland, Italy, Mexico, and Taiwan, but this will be the first major installation in the United States.<\/p>\n

In\u00a0Hylozoic Ground<\/em>\u00a0Beesley is creating what he refers to as “living architecture.” With his team of collaborators Beesley installs a structure made out of base materials, chemistry and electricity that appears both feathery and crystalline and calls to mind the sculptures of Ruth Asawa. A series of microprocessors give the structure a primitive sort of swarm or crowd intelligence that responds to the presence of living things. The chemical elements give the structure a function, enabling it to act somewhat like the lymphatic system, transforming toxins into harmless substances. It is an exploration into the architecture of the future, where a building would respond and transform itself according to interior and exterior conditions.<\/p>\n

Beesley’s team is looking for a group of volunteers to help install the project. If you are interested contact Chris Davies at\u00a0cdavies@theleonardo.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n