Rafael Lozano-Hemmer – Pulse Spiral

Pulse Spiral is an installation of 400 lightbulbs arranged according to a mathematical formula to create a spiral paraboloid. The equation, one of Fermat’s theorems, produces an efficient spatial distribution along a surface—a form found in nature, for example in the arrangement of leaves and cells in roots. The work records and responds to the heart rate of participants who hold a sensor underneath it. Commissioned for the opening of the Center for Contemporary Culture in Moscow in the constructivist Bakhmetevsky Bus Garage, the piece is inspired by engineer Vladimir Shukov, who worked with architect Konstantin Melnikov on the emblematic building from 1926–28.