Residency artists and researchers Multidisciplinary art Andy Best Media artist I am a media artist, sculptor and researcher at Crucible Studio, Aalto University School of Art & Design. I collaborate with my wife, Merja Puustinen, and our works can be seen at HTTP://ANDYANDMERJA.COM. During my time here at the Saari Residence, I will be working on a number of projects as well as doing technical research and development. Merja and I have started a collaboration with Jaakko Nousiainen and Miika Hyytiäinen to develop a Wagneresque Gesamtkunstwerk combining contemporary opera, video, performance, robotics, audience participation….This is an exciting project with many possibilities opening up! We have worked with Jaakko and Miika before, creating stage sets for their chamber operas Kaappi and Rakkaimpani presented at Aleksanterinteatteri. Last year I won a competition to design an art work for Helsingin Energia with my proposal Power Flower, a kinetic sculpture that reacts to the overall energy consumption in the city and changes shape and colour accordingly. I am currently working on a small prototype which will be on view to the public during “energy saving week” in October. We are now going forward with plans for the “big” outdoor version of Power Flower! I am also using my time here to investigate and develop various techniques that Merja and I utilise in our interactive art works. For example, wireless communication between a number of remote sensors is one of my tasks. I am also developing a small robot chassis and framework for autonomous “artbots”, as well as learning how to programme animations to LED matrices.