The Cube

The Cube is a four sided rear projection sculpture that spent nearly a decade tucked away in storage here at ZU before I had students in my ART 397 revive it for their final project. The video above shows each of the 4 panels playing in synch to give you a sense as to the interplay between each of the facades of the cube. In the video above, you’ll see all four screens running in perfect sync, so you can see how the visuals flow from one side to the next. The cube is over six feet tall, and circling it in person delivers a truly immersive, engaging and exciting viewing experience.

Each student produced four square video loops running thirty seconds to one minute in length and timed them so all four walls play in sync. Students had to balance storytelling with the technical aspects of such an undertaking. The result is a living study of motion, colour, and rhythm that wraps around the viewer instead of sitting flat on a single screen.

Beyond the visual payoff, the project taught technical grit and collaborative problem solving. Glitches and re renders became teachable moments, showing how creative ideas and practical fixes move hand in hand. Our hope is that The Cube sparks fresh thinking about using space as a canvas and encourages new experiments with digital content on unexpected surfaces on campus and beyond.