Enlightened Cactus

An interactive installation by Fernando Cienfuegos
Fort McMurray, AB 2021

Timelapse Saturday Oct. 9, 2021 Music by the Barrera Bros.
What is hip? - Tower of Power -
Ivan Barrera ft. Javo Barrera

The logic of the interactive elements

A) The standby stage

5 festive videos playing randomly.

B) The experience

2 X-Eye Presence, long range sensors with 3 trigger zones each one at different distances. The triggering of the zones turned off the festively lights to turn on the "enlightened" backlighting of the cactus.
- Each zone has 5 different video elements with the voices of -No prickly pears for you!
1 X-Eye Motion, with 2 different trigger detection areas and 3 random video elements to each one.

The proposal

Fruits & Vegetables, really? Fruits & Vegetables! As a design theme? Well, I love the idea! The Enlightened Cactus will make you reconsider this prickly plant as not only a source of nutrition, but also an exploration into my mestizo heritage and the common Mexican proverb, “Al nopal lo van a ver sólo cuando tiene tunas”, which translates to “they only notice the cactus when it has prickly pears”, meaning that people only notice you when you have something to give.

The Enlightened Cactus is set on a “castillo” (castle) like frame, traditionally made of “carrizos” (hollow cane/giant reed). In Mexican culture, these Castillo’s are formed into large pyrotechnic structures that, when lit, transform into a spectacle of fireworks and light. These eye-catching Castillo’s are usually used to mark the end of a festival (religious or not).

Taking the concept of a Castillo to a confined space provokes a casual encounter with visitors. Depending on the distance or position of the person, the pads of the cactus will simultaneously light and voices of the mantra “Al nopal lo van a ver sólo cuando tiene tunas” will be heard in different languages.

If nobody approaches the cactus, the prickly pear lights up to entice its visitor, but then slowly fades as they move closer. A synthetic revenge to honor the nopales (noh-PAH-lays) who receive attention only for their flesh or fruit.

La Propuesta.

Verduras, ¿de verdad? ¡verduras! ¿Cómo tema de diseño? ¡Pues bien, me encanta la idea!
Esta vez, un "cactus" es un elemento solitario y es una construcción simbólica de una expresión idiomática que es conocida por la gente del centro de México y tiene múltiples connotaciones,
-"Al nopal lo van a ver sólo cuando tiene tunas" ó
-Nadie busca el árbol hasta que ve las manzanas.

El Cactus Iluminado se encuentra en un islote detrás de un marco similar a un "castillo" de fuegos pirotécnicos, tradicionalmente hecho de "carrizos" (caña hueca).

En la cultura mexicana, estos Castillos se forman en grandes estructuras pirotécnicas que, al encenderse, se transforman en un espectáculo de fuegos artificiales y luz. Estos llamativos Castillos se suelen utilizar para marcar el final de una fiesta (religiosa o no).

Llevar el concepto de castillo a un espacio confinado provoca un encuentro casual con los visitantes. Dependiendo de la distancia o posición de la persona, las paletas del nopal se iluminarán simultáneamente y las voces del mantra "Al nopal lo van a ver sólo cuando tiene tunas" se escucharán en diferentes idiomas.

Si nadie se acerca al cactus, la tuna se ilumina para atraer a su visitante, pero luego se desvanece lentamente a medida que se acercan. Una venganza sintética para honrar a los nopales (noh-PAH-lays) que reciben atención solo por su carne o fruto.

About Fernando Cienfuegos

He won his first national competition at the age of eight for his sand sculptures and completed his first multimedia installation in Grade 9.
His design of complex installations and the use of multimedia in the mid 80's resulted in an invitation to collaborate as advisor and producer for the State of Mexico’s Theatre Company CET.
While completing his bachelor of arts degree in Communication, his productions, "Mejicanos en el Espacio," a science fiction comedy and "La Banda y la Pasión," a clay motion video, gave him national awards and recognitions for best TV production and animation. During that time, videotapes were widely used and he gained expertise in addressing noise and signal degradation.

After permanently moving to Canada, Fernando’s artistic career changed from creator to instructor and consultant, finding creative technical solutions in video production and interactive installations. By obtaining the bursary from the Alberta Media Arts Alliance, his exploration of personal projects was revived, and once again sought to create tangible conceptualizations.