MB&F X PARKER HEYL AND MAC VAN DAM COSMOBLOOM

Cosmobloom: Kinetic Art in Motion

Cosmobloom is an ethereal kinetic sculpture that interacts dynamically with its audience. In harmonious motion, it captures and reflects light and color, evolving from a closed, secure state to an open, vulnerable one. The work is made of layers of mirror-polished stainless steel, mounted on a set of refined mechanisms.

Hand-created in London by artists Heyl & Van Dam, Cosmobloom combines art, design, engineering and robotics. Their aim is to design a sculpture that emits an aura, a presence beyond its physical dimensions. While poetry and presence define its essence, rigorous mechanical principles shape its form. Parker Heyl’s expertise in robotics and Mac Van Dam’s attention to detail resulted in a sculpture with complex, precise movements.

The Designers

Parker Heyl
Parker Heyl is a designer, roboticist, artist and teacher in the Performance and Interaction Design MA program at London’s Bartlett School of Architecture. He creates digital/analog hybrids that enhance the aura of physical objects and aim to liberate digital data from the screen. His work favors an analog aesthetic over computer regulation. Before joining the Interactive Architecture Lab as a tutor and researcher, Parker worked as a roboticist at Harvard iLab developing flexible robotic technologies. Trained as a carpenter, he is currently a kinetic artist, designing installations for renowned art galleries.

Mac Van Dam
Mac Van Dam is a multidisciplinary designer working in the fields of architecture, art, object design and materials science. His work is inspired by a materials-centered design process and aims to integrate biological and living sensibilities into everyday life. He currently creates artworks under the Heyl & Van Dam banner and develops contemporary urban green infrastructure with the Vertical Grounds Design Lab. Before founding his design studios in the UK, Mac was a researcher and artist at the Living Architecture Systems Group in Toronto and worked in internationally renowned architectural practices. His work has been shown at the Lisbon Triennial, London Design Festival, Venice Biennale, Coachella and many other international exhibitions.