People-Powered Cup Spinner

Posted by bkisbigblog on

hondatrope_a

Client:  Honda
Agency:  PLAY Communication
Brief: A people-powered cup spinner

Honda fell in love with an experiential idea for the Sydney Festival conceived by their digital agency, DT — who described the concept as: “Immersive volumetric persistence of vision people powered cup spinner,” now known as the HondaTrope (and affectionately known at Big Kahuna as “the cup spinner”).

Brought together by brand experience agency PLAY Communication, the HondaTrope is a cutting-edge experience using the latest digital and engineering technology which must be ridden to be fully understood.

The HondaTrope ConceptThe concept centres on a bespoke spinning cup, custom engineered from the ground up (cue: Big Kahuna Imagineering).  Surrounded by 24 vertical LED light poles, festival patrons sit inside the cup and begin to spin around. Once they reach an optimal speed, the surrounding lights slowly reveal a hidden garden seen only by those inside the HondaTrope.

Positioned in the heart of the Honda Festival Garden in Hyde Park, the HondaTrope is based on the concept of anthropotropism, the principle that technologies work better when they respect the nature of the human body and mind.  With padded seating for three, the cup is designed to enable festival patrons to share the joyful experience.

Honda Australia Director and General Manager of Sales and Marketing, Mr. Stephen Collins said the installation is an exciting addition to the Honda Festival Garden.  “The HondaTrope is an innovative and creative installation that pushes the boundaries of engineering and technology and really demonstrates the power of clever thinking. The partnership with Honda and the Sydney Festival has resulted in creating a world-first experience that reflects what the festival is all about – creativity, art, and collaboration – but most of all, having fun.”

The HondaTrope was a highlight of the Honda Festival Garden during the 2013 Sydney Festival.

Once the elements were welded and ready for assembly, the two-part steel base went together first and the ballast put in place before the steel-framed cup was affixed.
Once the elements were welded and ready for assembly, the two-part steel base went together first and the ballast put in place before the steel-framed cup was affixed.
With seating for three, the cup is designed to enable festival patrons to share the joyful experience.
With seating for three, the cup is designed to enable festival patrons to share the joyful experience.
10 cubic metres of woodchips were used to fill in the 16-metre space between the radial ground beams to eliminate any trip hazard while still keeping with the overall garden theme.
10 cubic metres of woodchips were used to fill in the 16-metre space between the radial ground beams to eliminate any trip hazard while still keeping with the overall garden theme.
Working with Honda’s digital agency DT, and Play Communication, it's one of the latest projects to exit the Big Kahuna workshop... an experiential campaign that invites you to step into a giant spinning cup and experience a secret garden that you can only see while spinning at a certain speed on the ride.
Working with Honda’s digital agency DT, and PLAY Communication, the HondaTrope is one of the latest projects to exit the Big Kahuna workshop… an experiential campaign that invites you to step into a giant spinning cup and experience a secret garden that you can only see while spinning at a certain speed on the ride.
The HondaTrope is a cutting-edge experience using the latest digital and engineering technology which must be ridden to fully understand.
The HondaTrope is a cutting-edge experience using the latest digital and engineering technology which must be ridden to fully understand.
The brief: A people-powered cup spinner.
The brief: A people-powered cup spinner.  Result: Success.