Electronic City (2009)

This piece was commissioned by the New Children’s Museum in San Diego for their Teen Studio in reaction to under-representation in the STEM fields (Science, Tech, Engineering and Math).

It is an acrylic city on top of which lies a circuit where components are attached to it magnetically and are therefore movable. These components consist of LED’s, microphones and speakers, LED displays and stepper-motors. In order to use them, participants place the components on the traces in various ways, creating a hands-on learning experience through exploration.

The concept of this piece derives from the resemblance of electronic circuit boards with actual cities. Not only do copper traces look like roads and rivers and components like city blocks, the processes of building both are similar and the notion of electricity and powering up are the same.