The immersive exhibit featured the public launch of a programmable lighting structure utilizing item.

Innovation and creativity were the focal point at the 2017 Expo for Design, Innovation & Technology (EDIT), a 10-day event that showcased innovations in healthcare, housing, education and food. The highlight at EDIT was the “Wild Abode” Exhibit. This immersive and multi-sensory exhibit was designed by STACKLAB, a multidisciplinary art and design studio, and the branding firm, Community Agency for Great Gulf.

Lightframe Was the Heart of Wild Abode

The 13-foot-tall, 625 square foot Wild Abode exhibit featured the public launch of Lightframe, a flexible lighting structure using item’s extrusion. Lightframe was created by STACKLAB and Boston-based architect Jonathan Enns in 2015 when the home-building company, Great Gulf requested a lighting system for trade shows and events. As STACKLAB founder Jeffrey Forrest explained, they chose item’s system for two reasons: “The profiles have hollow cavities that can support electronics, and because it is a pre-engineered system with a written spec.” STACKLAB’s mission at EDIT was to use Lightframe to artistically showcase Great Gulf’s environmentally friendly wood-construction systems.

The Immersive and Multisensory Experience

Wild Abode was designed to be an abstract house that was gradually overgrown by pine trees. At the center, a figurative tree trunk was constructed out of salvaged twigs that wrapped around a column. Surrounding the figurative tree trunk at varying heights were metaphoric leaves which were seedlings and soil in test tubes that hung from a black-painted, CNC-milled poplar-plywood lattice trellis bolted to the existing concrete ceiling. Utilizing Lightframe’s programmable multicolor LED, the exhibit was both immersive and a multisensory experience with slow undulating waves of light from the LEDs timed to simulate a body’s breathing and heartbeat. The floor of the exhibit was made of softwood (pine, redwood and spruce) mulch. The distinct scent of fresh pine could be smelled throughout the entire exhibit and throughout the entire show floor in EDIT, making the Wild Abode a popular exhibit.

Finalist in Prestigious Interior Design Award

The complexity of Wild Abode brought significant attention not only during the event but also in the following months after the event. In July of 2018, Wild Abode was named a finalist of the SBID International Design Excellence Award in the Public Spaces category, one of the most prestigious interior design awards. STACKLAB Founder and Creative Director Jeffery Forrest was thrilled to be nominated for this award. “The quality of the experience and the strength of the message ultimately tie back to conscientious multidisciplinary design and collaboration. This is the brainchild of a team of developers, designers and skilled manufacturers who want to contribute to innovation in our built environment.”

For more information visit www.stacklab.ca