As time goes on and technology grows more advanced, things from our past slowly become obsolete. Such is the case with wooden escalators; Sydney’s Wynyard Station first installed a pair of them in 1931, but the Australian locale has since replaced them with their modern counterparts. Doing so begged the question: What happens to the old—and now historic—stairways? Instead of discarding them, artist Chris Foxrepurposed them by creating two interlocking sculptures made from recycled materials. Together, they form the spectacular site-specific installation known as Interloop.
Suspended from the ceiling, Interloop features the stairs stretched like an accordion and wrapped around one another. A seemingly shape-shifting form, it changes depending on the angle in which it’s viewed—but from every vantage point, it’s impressive. Fox simultaneously achieved a tranquility in the form with the distinct feeling that Interloop is in the midst of motion. Considering the size, this was no small feat—the two pieces measure more than 50 meters (~164 feet) in length, weigh over five tons, and display 244 wooden treads from the original escalators.
The moving staircases served Sydney’s commuters for 80 years—a fact that Fox was acutely aware of as he designed the piece; Interloop celebrates the past while allowing the city to look forward to its future. This same idea is applied to its citizens. “The artwork explores the idea that people are stationary on an escalator whilst also traveling, allowing for a moment of pause that occurs mid-motion,” Fox writes. “The sculpture resonates with people in this state, referencing all those journeys that have passed and are now interlooping back.”
Adafruit publishes a wide range of writing and video content, including interviews and reporting on the maker market and the wider technology world. Our standards page is intended as a guide to best practices that Adafruit uses, as well as an outline of the ethical standards Adafruit aspires to. While Adafruit is not an independent journalistic institution, Adafruit strives to be a fair, informative, and positive voice within the community – check it out here: adafruit.com/editorialstandards
Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7:30pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat and our Discord!
Python for Microcontrollers – Adafruit Daily — Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter: New Python Releases, an ESP32+MicroPython IDE and Much More! #CircuitPython #Python #micropython @ThePSF @Raspberry_Pi
EYE on NPI – Adafruit Daily — EYE on NPI Maxim’s Himalaya uSLIC Step-Down Power Module #EyeOnNPI @maximintegrated @digikey
