Comprised of about 1,100 rotating pieces, “Drift” is a kinetic chandelier that is designed to demonstrate the heat responsiveness of the material. When theater lights focus on the thermobimetal portion of the individual pieces, the heat-sensitive material curls and throws the center of gravity off to one direction. Counterweighted by equivalent stainless steel pieces, the vertically-oriented pieces will slowly rotate to become horizontal, mimicking a school of fish swimming against the current. When the light to another location on the piece, the individual pieces uncurl and return back to their original vertical position.                                      

This project with two others were invited to exhibit at three different one-day events, sponsored by Toyota Prius and The Creator’s Project. For this purpose, the project was designed to quickly assemble and dissemble at locations in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. The project will eventually be permanently installed in the Toyota new headquarters in Plano, Texas.