Experiencing ‘Shiver’

My New Year at the Burchfield Penney Art Center welcomed an interactive futuristic looking installation called ‘Shiver’ by Buffalo native, Colleen Ludwig.  It puts the visitors at peace, welcoming them as a site for meditation.

When you walk into the three sided installation you activate a series of clicking rhythmic sounds, and trickles of water run down its white walls. Once you step into ‘Shiver’ your presence is detected by 20 sensors on the ceiling which activate the sounds and water.

What I find really cool is if you are alone walking around in ‘Shiver’, the water follows and flows as you walk and will mimic your pace. The water, triggered by your movement, really connects you with the installation; you and it act together, creating the experience.

That’s the neat part.  It provides a bigger picture that we are one with nature. Humans, animals, and the natural environment are one, and we affect our environment through our motions and actions.

Simple and mesmerizing, ‘Shiver’ is unlike anything I have ever experienced. I think it likely is the same for others I observed in the installation by the expressions on their faces. There is definitely a sense of curiosity and wonder even before stepping into the white serene box. Some of the people I watched weren’t sure you could step into the installation; but once they did, they were welcomed with the trickles of water and soothing sounds.

Visually, ‘Shiver’ is as interesting as its interactive concept. There are fluorescent lights built into the corners which highlight the trickling water. This gives it a 3-D effect and definitely enhances the water’s beauty. These fluorescent lights were a necessity in the assembly because without the lights the water becomes invisible on the walls. Once your movement triggers the water’s downward crawl, it is fascinating to watch.  The rivulets the water makes as it runs down the wall are beautiful and mesmerizing. The effect the water has as it runs down the walls is similar to how water runs down our skin.

On the outside of ‘Shiver’s’ walls there are numerous multicolored wires. These wires are obviously a part of the lights, valves and other electronic pieces, but they aren’t just there for mechanical function; visually, they represent the nerves in the human body. The walls of the installation are also meant to act as a metaphor for the walls of the human body.

I would say the most interesting and significant aspect of ‘Shiver’ is its power to put you into a peaceful, meditative state as soon as you walk in. It allows you to escape by providing that peaceful, encompassing surrounding. The environment makes you ready to receive, to listen and to feel. It is Colleen Ludwig’s hope that people who experience ‘Shiver’ will slow down and become tuned in with their surroundings.

The installation also presents the idea of nature and technology coexisting. Fluorescent lights, wires, sensors all come together to work with water, the driving force of nature. Kind of an odd combo to see in an art installation but they successfully come together to create this welcoming environment. Colleen Ludwig now lives in Detroit and is nationally known for work in video and complex installations has a deep love for nature and a fascination with electronics. She believes when combined the two can create something wonderful as she did here with ‘Shiver’ - a meditative environment for people.

The installation’s name as you can imagine is inspired by the way the water rivulets shiver or shake down the walls. But ‘Shiver’ also applies to the adrenaline rush or the tingle-up the spine when something exciting happens. That shivers of anticipation for something that excites you.

By experiencing Shiver I acquired a new perspective of what installations can do not only visually but physically as well. The installation takes you away from a hectic daily life which is awesome - especially if you have limited time to slow down and think.