Artist: Dan Eislinger
Title: Interconnected
Location: Walnut and Willard
Statement:"Interconnected" celebrates the many aspects of connectedness that are evident in the South Central neighborhood and the larger Muncie community and points to the new growth that can be generated when people, communities and organizations connect. South Central has been transformed over the past decade through people taking the initiative to bring change to their neighborhood. In addition to its residents, communities and organizations including Urban Light Community Church, Habitat for Humanity, Urban Light Community Development and the 8Twelve Coalition have brought about highly visible changes to the area. A community garden, a pocket park, new and remodeled homes, affordable housing, new businesses and an active neighborhood association are just a few of the many ways these developments have taken shape. Beyond the human connections that have transformed a neighborhood, Muncie is characterized by networks of connections at the infrastructural and industrial levels as well. The train tracks that cut through the city used to connect Muncie's industry to the rest of the country, and while they are less vital to local industry now, they are part of its identity, and Muncie still produces new locomotives. Muncie's roads also connect the city and weave in curious curves through downtown, along the river and through roundabouts.
"Interconnected" references this connectedness through a computer-generated network of lines and curves that wrap around the signal box continuously. The custom computer code written to create these lines and curves produces different outputs every time it is run, starting from two points, placing tiles one at a time, branching outward and seeking connections to lines and curves in neighboring tiles. The tile system, which has similarities to Truchet tile systems, is made up of 11 distinct tiles (including a classic Truchet tile) with 37 total possible distinct orientations. Despite the network of tiles wrapping all sides of the box, no tiles are left unconnected on any side.
Bio: Dan Eisinger lives in the South Central neighborhood with his wife and son. He is a member of nearby Urban Light Community Church and a faculty member at the College of Architecture and Planning (CAP) at Ball State University. He obtained his Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Taylor University in 2004 and a Master of Architecture degree from Ball State in 2015. Since completing his graduate studies he has managed the digital fabrication labs at CAP, which include its 3D printing, CNC and robotics labs. He teaches courses in computational design, leveraging his background in computer science and as a software developer to introduce architecture students to technologically advanced approaches to designing and making. His work explores connections between computation, human-computer interaction, robotic fabrication, design and drawing.
