veev: eel self-heating bench at seat, san francisco

'eel' is a sculptural installation that responds to environmental conditions and the presence of visitors,
shifting its colour and light and generating heat upon its surface. the project, composed of laminated acrylic
sheets into which an inner sculpture has been CNC-carved, is the work of veev, the experimental design studio
of thailand-born, US-based architect raveevarn choksombatchai in collaboration with norbert wong,
sarah witkin, and zachary streitz.

usable as a seat, the surface of 'eel' releases heat only when the sculpture senses that visitors are nearby,
emitting a range of colour and intensity of light in response to environmental stimuli. the interior figure
appears to appear and vanish as visitors adopt different perspectives, as a result of light refraction.
the project investigates  the performative and transformative quality of architecture in response to changing
conditions in the environment, raising parallels to questions of climate change and drawing attention
to fluctuations in our living environment.

'eel' is on exhibition at san francisco's fort mason center through june 2013 as part of the 'seat' exhibition.



full frontal view of 'eel' bench, daylight



full 3/4 view



detail



full view, nighttime



detail on top with thermal system visible



detail on side panels



detail



concept drawing


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