Created by LAb[au], Moza1que (French word for mosaic) is a permanent artwork for ‘La Maison Mécatronique’ in Annecy-Le-Vieux, France. The main wall of the entrance hall 3.4m x 6m is divided in 26×15 squares, each motorised by a linear actuator with a range of 10cm. The individual control of the motion creates different three-dimensional reliefs of geometric patterns evolving following the logics of cellular automata.
The resulting mosaic can be compared to the electro-magnetic functioning of a memory slot in computation logics. The-so called ‘place holder’, having here the size of the matrix of tiles, can be filled with binary data and where this magnetic action leads in the installation also to physical motion. Information emerges not only out of the binary state but out of the relative position of the tile in the matrix. What in terms of computer logics is referred to as sequential data becomes here spatial data.
In front of the wall the installation also includes an array of LED rails mounted on the ceiling to project white light over the wall combining its primary colours; red green and blue. The distant positioning of the 3 colored light sources interrupts one or two of the RGB light beams which leads to colored instead of black shadows on their outlines. The installation evolves using the pattern of “game of life“, a simple mathematical simulation of life and evolution in which “cells” live or die following principally rules of vicinity.
