Kindred Hearts Proposal

Here is my link to the downloadable pdf proposal of the project, including budget, sketches, and additional information.

Kindred Hearts is an interactive LED installation designed to evoke joy, connection, and a sense of shared magic. Inspired by the prompt above, this piece invites festival-goers to dance together under heart-shaped LED arches.

Each arch features two smaller heart-shaped controllers, inscribed with “Pick me up and dance with me!” When participants interact by moving the controllers, animations within the heart accelerate, and a glowing progress bar begins to fill with color, reflecting their combined energy. When both participants on either side of the heart dance, their collective effort eventually illuminates the entire heart.

The heartbeat of this installation mirrors the interconnectedness of the forest that surrounds it. Just as trees synchronize their rhythms—masting together, cycling through seasons as one, and connecting through unseen networks above and below the ground—Kindred Hearts visualizes the beauty of individuals aligning in harmony. Trees are the pulse of the ecosystem, and the forest reminds us of what is possible when individual entities come together to move as one.

This piece encourages forest wanderers to embody that same rhythm of connection. By playing and moving together, they create a moment of shared magic, lighting up the night and bringing the unseen bonds of energy and joy to life.