Wan Kyn Chan (b. 1994, Singapore) graduated with a Bachelor and Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 2019 and 2021 respectively from Purdue University, and was the pioneer class of School Of The Arts, Singapore (SOTA). He has actively pursued engagements at the interface of art and engineering. He continually seeks to meld Art and Engineering into a harmonious hybrid that will inspire people to see connections between the subjects that lie on opposite ends of the academic spectrum, and to create inspirational and aesthetically pleasing works of art. Wan Kyn’s passion can also seen in the conception and proposal of Bistable Embrace, another piece being exhibited during Boiler Gold Rush 2022.

Linknito (b. 1999, USA) Graduated From Purdue University with a double major in Robotics and Mechatronics Engineering Technology in 2022 with a minor in Electronic & Time Based Art. He pursues his work with a research and experimentation mentality, looking to engage with metaphysical and philosophical concepts using technology. primarily focusing on robotic life and embodied cognition, much of his work studies animist ideas through multidisciplinary, multi medium pieces. Much of his work is either an experiment into a technique or acts as a medium for playing with a cognitive concept, occasionally resulting in pieces that are “art tools'' and can be utilized to create further pieces to study his topics of research.

Jack Jones (b. 2001, USA) is a multidisciplinary engineer and artist entering his final year at Purdue University. Apart from majoring in Multi-disciplinary Engineering (MDE) with a concentration in Visual-Design Engineering, Jack is also pursuing a minor in Electronic and Time-Based art. He is passionate about the intersection between aesthetics and cutting-edge technologies. This is apparent when he purposefully applies skills he acquired in STEM to shape his artistic techniques, which enhances the quality of his artistic practice. mediums he enjoys working with include application-based creative coding and experiments with textiles, fibers, wood, and other non-conventional mediums.

This installation would not have been possible without the support of the grant awarded to Wan Kyn Chan by the Purdue’s Fusion Studio for Entertainment and Engineering, the members of the Electronics & New Media Art Club (ENMAC) and all faculty and staff who provided the space and time enabling its completion. Thank you to Long Dinh Viet (Senior, Engineering Management) in assisting us with the completion of the project in programming and construction.

A special thanks to Prof. Mary Pilotte, Co-Director, Fusion Studio, for her advice and continued support through the conceptualization and development of this installation.

Press Releases:

Process Documentation:

Standing at over 2.4m (8ft) tall, and weighing in at more than 250kg, this installation was conceived and designed by Wan Kyn. He was the only student applying to the Fusion Studio for Entertainment and Engineering for the grant that would eventually fund this project. As he would have graduated at the time of BGR 2022, he organized an additional team of students from the Electronic and New Media Art Club set up by Linknito to realize the installation. All in all, through the ups and downs the final installation was set up in the middle of the Purdue University Memorial Mall and was open to more than 8,200 new incoming students and over 40,000 current students, faculty and staff.

With Wan Kyn having left the country after his visa period and Linknito relocating to another state, the last few weeks up to the installation involved intense weekends and late nights troubleshooting the programming and lighting behavior as well as the assembly and final logistics remotely with Jack at the helm. The following series of shots is a snipped of the mess made in the realization of this installation. Click and hover over each image to find out more: