Lumen

Lumen, an immersive, interactive installation by Jenny Sabin Studio, will be on view in MoMA PS1’s courtyard during summer 2017. Winner of The Museum of Modern Art and MoMA PS1’s annual Young Architects Program, this year’s structure evolves over the course of the day, with responsive textiles that display subtle color in sunlight and emit glowing light after sundown. Made of over 1 million yards of digitally knitted fiber, Lumen's large-scale cellular canopies feature 250 hanging tubular structures, 100 robotically woven recycled spool stools, and a misting system that responds to visitors’ proximity. Socially and environmentally responsive, Lumen’s adaptive architecture is inspired by collective levity, play, and interaction as the structure transforms throughout the day and night, responding to the density of bodies, heat, and sunlight. The result of collaboration across disciplines, Lumen applies insights and theories from biology, materials science, mathematics, and engineering—integrating high-performing, formfitting, and adaptive materials into a structure where code, pattern, human interaction, environment, geometry, and matter operate together. Lumen serves as the setting for the 20th season of Warm Up, MoMA PS1’s pioneering outdoor music series.