Kinetic Installation Of Light And Movement

'Shylight' is mechanical sculpture that unfolds and retreats to its original state to make a fascinating choreography, mirroring the nyctinasty of real flowers.

Nyctinasty is the circadian rhythmic movement of plants in response to the onset of darkness, where flowers close at night for self-defence and to conserve their resources. DRIFT created the perfect form to visualize this natural mechanism concept, and is now part of the permanent collection of Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. The installation feels alive thanks to the unpredictable and natural-looking movements, carefully picked for the viewers pleasure: it descends while blossoming, only to subsequently close and retreat upward again.