The team consisting of Pamela Parker (MACPfNE), Lourina Botha(MACPfNE), and David Bennett (MAID) was awarded as winner of the Wellcome Collection's 'Bodies in Motion' Competition. The competition was held to design an urban interactive installation to make the public more aware of the body in the spirit of the 2012 Olympic games.
The ideas developed by the team were titled 'Pulse of the City' and used a playful interactive fountain to translate a user's heartbeat into a musical rhythm played out through pulsing streams of water:
"Everyone knows what the human body looks like but how does it sound? We propose to create a public intervention that allows people to engage with and learn about their bodies in fun and interactive way. By translating the inner workings of the body into the physical environment, using unexpected sensory experiences – we help people rexamine themselves and connect with one another.
The PULSE OF THE CITY fountain is a musical instrument which is played by translating people’s pulses. By learning through doing people will develop a new and memorable understanding of their bodies. The design also encourages a collective effort to produce a harmonious effect, bringing people together. The display board motivates people to test their bodies in different ways. The fountain can become the focus for one-off themed events exploring different aspects of bodies in motion creating an ever changing visitor experience."