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Sunwheel

With an installation that changes throughout day and night, collective Moradavaga installed a site-specific, interactive piece as an ode to the sun and traditional Portuguese water mills.

Following an invitation to rethink São João’s popular cascades, Moradavaga took inspiration from one of its icons, the wheel of the traditional water mills, and linked it to the old pagan cults to the Sun related to the summer solstice, from which the traditional festivities in honor of the city’s christian patron are derived.

Moradavaga developed a site-specific interactive artistic piece implanted inside the fountain of Porto’s main avenue. The rotation of the eight meters diameter “sun-wheel”, made of hundreds of little golden moving plates, produces changing effects throughout day and night, according to wind and light variations and the speed given by users, also creating varying reflections and movements on the existent water mirror.