BigBots: Gregory Witt & Joey Hays
Green Roof Roller Coaster
Green roofs typically utilize plants to serve architectural and environmental functions such as building insulation, rainwater retention, oxygen production, and wildlife harboring. Unfortunately the psychological well-being of the plants employed in these roofs is rarely taken into account. Our project will ensure that rooftop plants remain entertained by allowing them to ride on a roller coaster. Various environmental and physiological variables will be constantly monitored in order to determine how bored the rooftop plants are at any given moment. When boredom levels reach a critical threshold, the roller coaster housing the plants will be automatically triggered. The cars will be equipped with an array of sensors and a camera that will all be wirelessly connected to a kiosk in the lobby of the museum. At this kiosk, viewers will be able observe the live data coming from the car including a video feed and computed plant happiness levels. In addition, the kiosk will be equipped with an emergency "go" button to give museum visitors the final say in whether or not the plants go for a ride.
Gregory Witt
Gregory Witt is currently an MFA candidate in the School of Art at Carnegie Mellon University. With short-lived majors ranging from computer science to philosophy, Greg spent most of his near-decade-long undergraduate career at Indiana University building boats and bicycles and digging in the trash, eventually earning a BFA in sculpture in 2005. Apart from the occasional river trip, Greg has spent most of the last five years making electromechanical sculptures that expose unseen realities and ridiculous fantasies of real and made up natures.
http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/gwitt/Projects.html
Joey Hays
Joey Hays is an artist from Atlanta, GA who makes kinetic work with a silly spontaneity. He is interested in the interactions between humans and nature, the ecological effects of the built environment, and the integration of nonsensical humor into daily life.
Location: The Children's Museum of Pittsburgh
Helpful Hints: The roller coaster is located on the roof of the entrance to the Children's Museum.