Climate Clock International Public Art Competition / Organograph

The masterplan: The City of San José has the unique opportunity to build an internationally prominent transportationcenter and to develop a superb destination within the area around the Diridon Station. The new terminal building represents an opportunity for the City of San José to create an iconic gateway which becomes a memorable mental image of San José. The station could be considered the“new cathedral” of the City: It is a landmark of symbolic importance for a 21st century transportation-based society. It is a place where people come, go, and meet. A central and generously-sized public plaza that could serve as the station’s natural extension underlines its civic role and ensures its functionality. This public plaza represents the pefect location for the ORGANOGRAPH.
The site: For the Organograph as the heart of this public plaza three different locations were studied and evaluated.

Organograph is a 75 foot tall kinetic sculpture proposed for public integration to the Diridon Station area in downtown San Jose, California where it will interact with the community wand the environment for the next 100 years.
It is an ever-changing, participatory sculpture that invites the public to come inside it to observe, investigate and respond to the processes of climate change. While functioning as a captivating civic beacon it is also a flexible instrument of scientific measurement and serves public education and individual experience. The total mechanism of the sculpture responds to and provides a window into worldwide climate data.
The sculpture resembles a heliotropic flower, with large solar petals that open every morning and close every evening. 
The sculpture is entirely powered by the sun and rotates once per day.

Concept and idea:
Amorphic Robot Works - Geo Homsy, Chico MacMurtrie, Bill Washabaugh

Text:
Chico MacMurtrie and Luise Kaunert fine art consulting