Presented At
Burning Man: 2008, 2011-2015, 2017
Boston First Night: 2013
Firefly: 2009
Priceless Festival: 2008
Toxic Bloom is an interactive fire sculpture where participants' gestures are manifest in bursts of colored flame. Users interact with the piece using a Kinect, or a Wii remote in older versions. I was solely responsible for the electronics and fire control in all iterations, as well as assisting with the design and fabrication of the sculpture along with propane and color delivery systems.
photo: Jan Bloch
photo: Aviran Levy
Details
Toxic Bloom is a high pressure propane effect which relies on Venturi effects to pull metals salts in solution into the flame to change its color. While it’s possible to control Bloom with buttons, I decided that the piece would be most effective if it were controlled with gestures. Originally this meant using a Wii remote, but after the Kinect was released, I switched to that to create an even more seamless interface between participants and the control of large jets of colored fire.
