Soph ia Sobe r s RECENT WORK

Garden Rooms ProjectOngoing, 2014 - Present

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The Garden Rooms series envisions a future society dealing with the results of climate change. Through the use of photography, 3D scanning software, 3D animation software, installations using plants and fabric, and social media, these “rooms” are speculative ideas of what our changed relationship with plants could look like.

The work in the following pages showcases the range of work that has been created.

1.1 Recreating my Dreams of Past, Present and FutureA solo exhibition this past October, 2015 at AS220 in Providence, RI, Recreating my Dreams consists of looped animations, photographs mounted to wood, artificial turf, and found materials, to construct a virtual dreamscape of plants.

1.2 In-between OccupancyA constructed domestic setting within a non-traditional gallery setting, it depicts a futuristic setting where plants become more integrated into a dwelling. The imagery extends to the windows and use of interfacing ironed onto fabric to create illustrations of the surrounding environment.

1.3 Garden Rooms: Videos and Looping GIFsScreen shots of individual animations created as part of the Garden Rooms series. All animations were created using 3D scanning software, including the Structure Sensor and 123D Catch, to gener-ate 3D models which were animated in 3DS Max or Maya and compiled together in After Effects.

1.4 Garden Rooms: Photographic BeginningsThe origin point for this series.

G a r d e n R o o m s : R e c r e a t i n g m y D r e a m s o f P a s t , P r e s e n t a n d F u t u r e

I n s t a l l a t i o n o f p h o t o g r a p h s , v i d e o , a n d n a t u r a l o b j e c t s , 2 0 1 5

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Recreating my Dreams of Past, Present, and Future used both natural and artificial

light to create an ambient and ever-changing setting. Blue flourescent lights are

used in the track lighting to create a darker, toned setting. Throughout the day, the

position of the sun pierces into the room, casting light onto the singular, living plant.

Artificial turf and videos of 3D scanned plants were used to further create and blur

the boundaries of what is ‘real’ and what is ‘unreal’ in accordance to the gallery

setting.

D e t a i l o f v i d e o i n s t a l l a t i o n w a l l , f r a m e s , a n d n a t u r a l e l e m e n t s

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G a r d e n R o o m s : I n - b e t w e e n O c c u p a n c y

I n s t a l l a t i o n o f i l l u s t r a t i o n s o n f a b r i c , v i d e o , a n d p l a n t s , 2 0 1 5

V i d e o s a n d l o o p i n g G I F s , a s p a r t o f t h e G a r d e n R o o m s s e r i e s .

T h i s p a r t i c u l a r p a r t o f t h e s e r i e s w a s d e v e l o p e d a s a m e a n s t o i n t e g r a t e a n d i n t e r j e c t

p l a n t l i f e o n t o t h e w e b a s p o r t a b l e c l i p s . A n i n s t a g r a m a n d t w i t t e r a c c o u n t w a s a l s o

c r e a t e d a s a m e a n s t o d i s p e r s e t h e s e a n i m a t i o n s t o a l a r g e m a s s o f p e o p l e .

A p r e v i e w c l i p o f s e v e r a l l o o p s s t i t c h e d t o g e t h e r c a n b e f o u n d : h t t p s : / / v i m e o . c o m / 1 4 6 7 3 1 4 8 3

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E a r l y p h o t o g r a p h i c e x p l o r a t i o n s i n

d e v e l o p m e n t o f t h e G a r d e n R o o m s s e r i e s ,

2 0 1 4 .

1.4

I Walk Along This Earth,

Therefore I Dream

2014

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A public art project comissioned by the 195 Redevelopment

Program, “I Walk... Therefore I Dream” was created in

response to the toxicity of the soil. I envisioned creating

objects which seemed to be growing out of the landscape

and supporting new life.

The inspiration for the design of these nature-objects comes

from the simple form of a Lindenmayer system, or

L-system. Biologist Lindenmayer developed his L-system in

1968 to describe the simple growth patterns of algae. This

code was later extended to include the branching structures

of all plants. I chose this rudimentary structural system to

create branch-like forms around the outer structure to

invoke the imagery of plants, in addition to the plant life

sprouting from the tops of these objects.

This project was up for 1 year and endured the elements of

heat, wind, rain, and snow. The material was designed in

Rhino and templates were generated to cut most of the

material on a CNC machine. The bottom portion of the

sculptures were fitted with solar powered LED lights to

continue the existance of the sculpture into the night.

P r e l i m i n a r y f a b r i c a t i o n d r a w i n g s a n d 3 D r e n d e r i n g s

Recent Installations

2013 - Present

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The installations in these last few pages highlight the

use of nature as a key component to much of my work,

and the use of plants as integration within domestic

settings. Much of this developed both as an awareness

of climate change and concerns and care for the natural

environment

3.1 On the Cusp of Dawn and Dusk, 2014

3.2 To What Once Was, 2014

3.3 Mutation A-34, 2013

O n t h e C u s p o f D a w n a n d D u s k , 2 0 1 4

S p e c i f i c S c u l p t u r e : T h e N i g h t S h e We p t

f a b r i c , s w e e t p o t a t o p l a n t s , l i g h t s , s o i l , s a n d , t h r e a d , t a b l e s 2 4 ” w i d e x 3 6 ” l o n g

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3.2

To W h a t O n c e W a s

Wo o d , f a b r i c , l i g h t , p l a n t , s o i l

8 ’ w i d e x 8 ’ l o n g x 8 ’ h i g h

2 0 1 4

M u t a t i o n A - 2 4

L o c a l l y c o l l e c t e d p l a n t s , s c i e n t i f i c f u n n e l s , s t r i p p e d d a t a w i r e s

1 4 ’ h i g h , 5 ’ w i d e , 5 ’ l o n g

2 0 1 3

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