levitation suit transforms conventional 2D sleeping into 3D experience

levitation suit transforms conventional 2D sleeping into 3D experience

the AA visiting school slovenia is an experimental teaching and research programme, hosted in partnership with the AA visiting school (AAVS) at the architectural association, london. it recently hosted a three week research, design and make course focused on the strategies of nanotourism, allowing participants to engage in a wide range of projects: from site-specific micro interventions at a 1:1 scale to holistic strategies for existing contexts. the students were asked to develop adapted projects that had to materialize as actions or structures, temporary or permanent, ultimately seeking to create a comprehensible, tangible and novel experience within the KSEVT (cultural center of european space technologies). within the contemporary economic realities, the workshop was aimed at small and smart solutions that relied on local resources, and pursued innovative design and financing alternatives that bypassed major institutions and established spatial planning bureaucracy.

 
the ‘levitation suit’ is designed for 3D sleeping

the program took place at the new, highly specific KSEVT building — a bold landmark in the tiny slovenian village of vitanje of 600 residents that has welcomed over 25,000 visitors in its first year of activity. KSEVT has a public significance and generates social, cultural, and scientific activities, with fixed and temporary exhibitions, conferences and club/study programmes. there is an open need and an exposed potential of vitanje to become a case study for developing an extreme set of bottom up strategies or prototypes to challenge the conventional notion of tourism. the natural condition of slovenia as a fragile but diverse landscape and the local phenomenon of obsessive individualism provide principal conditions for this progress.

nanotourism is a new constructed term, describing a creative critique to the current environmental, social and economic downsides of conventional tourism, as a participatory, locally oriented, bottom-up alternative. nanotourism is beyond tourism, it is more an attitude to improve specific everyday environments and to open up new local economies. nanotourism is a newly constructed term, describing a creative critique to the current environmental, social and economic downsides of conventional tourism, as a participatory, locally oriented, bottom-up alternative. how can KSEVT accommodate sleepovers? the site-specific location of the workshop, added value to brainstorming sessions with a focus on levitation in an environment of gravity. the team’s field of research saw the transition from conventional 2D sleeping to the experience of 3D sleeping, with the resulting KSEVT hotel offering two experiences: the individual version enables the researcher to spend the night in KSEVT by sleeping in a uniquely engineered levitation-suit, suspended in the central space of KSEVT; while with the collective experience, a group of people is able to engage in 3D sleeping as an extended feature of the current exhibition, where a set of pyramid shaped cushions support your entire body in a custom 3D position while asleep. the concept of the KSEVT hotel and 3D sleeping embodies the unique program of KSEVT – it fulfills the accommodation needs of the institution and furthermore upgrades an already unique visitor experience.

tina gregorič, director of AA visiting school slovenia using the ‘levitation suit’

jakob travnik of the AA visiting school slovenia, vitanje with ‘levitation suit’ when it is folded up, and ready-to-use

actor blaž šef wearing the ‘levitation suit’ after having tested it out

detail of suspension and pulley system of the ‘levitation suit’

samo bojnec, one of the authors of the project, with the suspended levitation suit when not in use

3D sleeping experience using a modular pyramid like pillow system

diagram outlining the distinction between gravity vs no gravity

diagram outlining the distinction between 2D sleeping on earth and 3D sleeping in zero gravity

proposed vision of a 3D sleeping experience in the central multi-purpose hall at KSEVT, vitanje

project info:

AA visiting school slovenia: nanotourism nanotouristic strategies in vitanje, july 2014
tutors: aljoša dekleva, tina gregorič co-tutors: jakob travnik, blaž šef
project team:
 samo bojnec – slovenia
natalie jasinski – poland/austria kaja švab – slovenia
vid žnidaršič – slovenia
visiting experts in juries and tutorials 2014:
 vedran mimica – professor, associate dean of research IIT, chicago; 
christopher pierce – director AA visiting school programe, london; 
jan boelen – z33, bio 50 curator, design academy eindhoven
; miha turšič – director ksevt
dragan živadinov – KSEVT and post-gravity theatre boštjan vuga – sadar + vuga arhitekti, architect; 
vasa perović – bevk perović arhitekti, faculty for arch. ljubljana; 
nikola radeljković – numen / for use, zagreb; 
nejc matjaž – ondu, ljubljana; 
blaž šef – actor, KSEVT vitanje.

the deadline for applications for this year’s nanotourist strategies workshop at KSEVT is 20 June. full details on the application procedure is on the AAVS website.

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