AMAZE
AMAZE is an installation consisting of a three-dimensional maze of light and shadows where magical moments, both intimate and collective, await for those who wish to enter. A labyrinth like no other, AMAZE provides a multisensory experience through a personal journey of discovery, transformation and challenge in the realm of urban public space. The idea of the maze is predicated in the notion of finding oneself through the notion of getting lost. Its complex branching passages force visitors to choose among options, some of which may be dead ends, while others double back on themselves. Visitors are challenged to actively experience the artwork by walking through its narrow pathways, becoming an integral part of the installation.
Quick to build, versatile, secure, and affordable, AMAZE uses a standard scaffolding system as its core structure, covering a ground surface of 300m2. The walls of the maze function as a translucent skin made of multiple layers of fabric over which light is projected. The visual component of AMAZE was derived from the concept of “scaffoldage”, featuring a linear grid-like texture made of thin white lines that resembles the scaffolding structure over which it is projected. This texture becomes a dynamic organism whose transformation is driven by an algorithm with a set of pre-defined parameters. As a result of this transformation, the sense of disorientation inside the maze is dramatically emphasized.
The concept of the maze provides the possibility for different ways to experience the installation depending on the chosen path for navigation. The layout was designed in a way to provide an optimal flow of people while at the same time provoke a sense of disorientation in the audience. While walking inside AMAZE, visitors are constantly able to experience the surrounding city, transforming the journey into a playful community experience that is strongly connected to its urban context.
Located in a large outdoors parking space in downtown Toronto, AMAZE was presented as part the exhibition “The Possibility of Everything” curated by Dominique Fontaine for the festival Scotiabank Nuit Blanche, which premiered on October 4th 2014.
UNSTABLE is a multidisciplinary design and research laboratory that explores the social and political aspects of architecture in relation to the urban context. Currently operating from Iceland, UNSTABLE was founded in New York by Marcos Zotes (Madrid, 1977), a Reykjavik-based architect and visual artist with output ranging from buildings to interactive installations and public interventions.
More info: www.unstablespace.com
