I had the great pleasure of supporting the creation of the “World’s Longest DNA Model” by team IdeaMosaic. It was IdeaMosaic’s first ever project, and as a technician of the Design Fabrication Zone I assisted them in ideating, prototyping, and deploying the most efficient way of creating something temporary yet beautiful and holding its structure such a large scale. It was displayed at Dundas Square as part of Science Rendezvous, where they broke the Guiness World Record for the longest DNA model at the time at 43.5m in length.The community was invited to participate in the making of the installation. Visitors had their polaroid photos taken which were assigned a letter A, T, C, or G. The assigned photos were attached to the backbone structure of the model to signify DNA base pairs.It was a fun challenge, and the design consisted of repetitive modules of laser cut structural “rungs” with flexible veneer backbones, with dowels locking them together through friction to be easily assembled on the spot. The team coordinated an event called the Science Rendezvous, for which other elements were fabricated for maximum visitor interaction. The larger goal of IdeaMosaic is to increase awareness and excitement for science at large, by creating high impact installations and experiences that engage the public in science. The start-up combines the principles of crowd-creation, creativity, and attractive design with science, to interact with people of all ages and interests.
2016 Dundas Square, Toronto
Part of Science Rendezvous event. Provided close mentorship, supervision, and support while working at TMU’s Design Fabrication Zone.