All photos by Bob Gundu. Courtesy of RAW.
Human energy lit up the city from the rooftop of Adelaide West at the RAW ENERGY Industry event, flooding the skyline with visuals on Wednesday night. The architecture firm presented an installation running entirely on people power. A custom-designed, life-sized hamster wheel was powered by elite athletes and moving bike wheels were animated by triathletes thanks to MonkeyLectric. Electricity was discharged by bicycle generators, creating a stunning visual lightshow. ASE Power from Arizona and the University of Toronto’s Human Power Vehicle Design Team provided the generators.
The architecture firm’s annual industry events seek to create installations that stimulate the senses. This year, RAW’s industry party took place in a parking garage, magically transformed with the moving visuals, music by Alex Merrell, apps by Sublime Catering and pedal-powered drinking chocolate and desserts by Chocosol.
The event’s theme was inspired by the notion that human ideas and power are the ones that propel and transform cities. “While cranes and machinery seemingly build our urban landscapes, we wanted to remind guests the role people have in creating the ideas in our future environments,” said Roland Rom Colthoff, Director of RAW. With Toronto earning the title of the #1 skyscraper city in North America, this year RAW wanted to shine light on Toronto’s changing skyline and and the human presence that fuels the city.
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Farrah Khaled is an intern at the Toronto Standard. Follow her on twitter at @farkhaly.
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