Making Waves, Jardin de Metis, 2019

In physics, the kinetic energy of an object is the energy built up within it due to its motion. Building upon this idea, our team wanted to show how the motion of just two individuals could build up, expand, and multiply kinetic energy to create a spectacular wave of colour. Visitors are invited to play on a seesaw, but will be surprised at how a familiar activity can have such unfamiliar and exciting results.

As the seesaw moves up and down, a wave of kinetic energy radiates from pink to blue as the aluminum planks oscillate from the motion created by the users. The fantastic displays of colour and movement created by kinetic energy allows each participant to “make waves” in their own way.