New York's MoMA PS1 will feature a shelter installation that uses robotically-knitted solar fabrics that absorb and release light. Winner of the art institution's Young Architects Program competition, the canopy from Jenny Sabin Studio is photo-luminescent by night and cooling by day, with a misting system that delivers a cooling spray when someone comes near.
The installation includes long fabric tubes that hang from the canopy stalactite style, and make up part of the site's multi-sensory environment. During the day, visitors can take relief from the summer heat under the canopy, which allows in dapples of sunlight while occasionally spraying visitors with a misting system incorporated into the openings of those hanging tubes. The misting is activated by sensors that respond to movement.
At night, visitors to the instillation have a different experience, with the solar active material in the canopy, stalactite tubes and stools giving off a phosphorescent glow that "inspires levity and enjoyment with the space," says Sabin. "The photo-luminescent fabric absorbs UV sunlight, and then they slowly emit light."
