Abstract

HiDrone is made of hydraulically-operated pistons that can be reconfigured to change the shape of the gallery by filling and releasing water cycled in from the river. When filled with water, the pistons form a closed rectangular box with embedded fiber optic lights that produce 3D images and visual effects for the city. As water is drained from the pistons, the volume of HiDrone can morph into different configurations, the pistons forming floors, ceilings and furniture, depending on their arrangement, creating spaces for a café, a gallery, an amphitheater, etc. While contained in the pistons, the murky water is slowly cleaned by bacteria, creating uneven variations in transparency that enhance the visual texture of the surfaces, and making the floating gallery a minor purification system. Depending on the programmatic and climatic needs, the HiDrone is reconfigurable and reprogrammable throughout the course of the year, generating ephemeral public activity as it floats along the Thames.