skyline is a team of artists from cupertino
most recently, making films as RAINBOW PARC*

dreaming of a future...

skyline is a contemporary art project exploring consumer technology, myth, & the modern brand. we're approaching hardware from the foundation of myth. consumer electronics is ripe for a new approach. improvements in small-batch manufacturing & 3D printing are optimizing production cycles, while consumer habits shift from loose monolithic obligations to niche purchase decisions that express identity. as formulaic attention-pleas grow stale to an increasingly media-literate consumer, companies will be forced to engage more meaningfully with the cultural mesh. the physical object is primed for the modern media landscape. hardware must take from fashion: not just a solution to a pain-point, but an opportunity to inhabit a world - and the tactile artifacts that define it.

myth and material diagram

bridging myth & material

myth

what if star wars was crafted to sell the lightsaber? each product serves as the center of a narrative cycle. like a film fragmented across the canvas of social media, characters, settings, narrative arcs, & products interweave on the timeline. every cycle brings a new story. the narrative expands like an anthology as products evolve in tandem. the skyline myth begins in modern times, in the teenage bedrooms of a generation raised on the internet, dreaming of a world beyond the screen. inspired by our upbringing, the brand-world harkens back to the spirit of silicon valley - the original future myth, where geodesic domes were being built in the mountains, and kids still dreamt in the garage. skyline is a modern sci-fi epic told across technology & media - an ever-evolving story of today, tomorrow, and the tools that move us between.

myth block compilation

techno utopia & teenage rebellion

material

can a simple electronic device use design & media to create an expressive object of desire? the initial goal is to prove a hypothesis at low cost, to build the genesis of an enduring brand, and to establish a system where increasingly complex products & media can grow in tandem.

SYNC

the overstimulation of modern life has destabilized the internal state of a generation. anxiety is a daily trial, but existing solutions force people to turn to screens - the source of this anxiety. SYNC is a small screen-less device that uses haptics, LED's & subtle expansion to guide a user through brief breath-work sequences. meant to hang from a keychain, the device serves as both an expressive accessory & functional device - a living orb that aligns you with the rhythm of the cosmos. the device rejects the integration of modern devices. there are no apps to connect, data to be tracked, or account to be made - just breathe.

form block compilation

organic electronics

form

inspired by geodes & water stones, SYNC has a textured, organic form-factor cast in flesh-like translucent silicone. LED's & internal diffusers give the orb a celestial glow that move in sync to the devices 'breath.' no orb is the same. custom diffusers set at randomized axes create unique light fragments in every device.

function

a user turns on the orb with a tap & hold. pressure sensors signal the LEDs, which glow default state: [calm]. double-tapping offers the option to switch modes, while a single tap begins the sequence. a haptic count-in prompts the first cycle: SYNC contracts and expands - its cadence syncopated to haptic rhythm and LEDs. haptics shift their shape to denote inhale, hold, & exhale. the user aligns their breath to the orb for the duration of the sequence. an elongated haptic signals a final exhale. the device compresses to its initial form. a final long-tap turns the device off.

focus calm sleep modes

focus / calm / sleep

mechanics

SYNC uses an onboard control system & battery to process a few key functions: haptics - a haptic actuator creates rhythms to guide user through cycles. pulses can shift in intensity & texture to distinguish inhale, exhale, hold, and different modes. expansion / contraction - a small linear actuator pushes against the pre-shrunk silicone shell to create a subtle physical swell that aligns with breath cycles. light - multiple LEDs emanate a soft glow through the translucent shell. an internal diffuser shapes light into organic gradients & atmospheres. touch sensor - a single seamless touch sensor allows the user to turn the device on/off, switch modes, and begin sequences. mode logic - the onboard system stores different breathing sequences: [sleep], [calm], & [focus]. each mode is programmed with specific haptics, contraction, and light behavior.

cycle 1

a ball of light crosses the silicon valley sky before striking the ordinary high school campus of SOREN, the rebellious teenage protagonist of cycle 1. as he and his group of friends examine the glowing object in a crater of scorched earth, a mysterious connection is established between them and the divine. they take the object back to their garage and it begins to take shape as SYNC. the story around SYNC reflects the world it lands in: modern overstimulation, and the teenage desire for freedom - one that can only be found when you remember your connection to something greater. unplug from the screen plug into the universe

cycle 1

the first skyline product fell from the sky

[untitled] synesthesia speaker

loose ideas around a potential second product: the lava lamp of the future - our second product is a bluetooth desk-speaker that uses ai & 3D projection to visualize music. music is ingested & broken into stems. graphics (color, texture, & motion) are mapped to variable sonic parameters (rhythm, frequency, timbre, etc). every song - a unique combination of stems - each with a unique set of parameters determine how visuals evolve. sensors capture real-time environmental data (light, temperature, time of day, etc) which operate as additional parameters. every visual is unique to that moment. graphics are split into angled perspectives and projected through calibrated prisms to create a floating, volumetric light form. music & visuals play in harmony at the corner of a desk or center of a dining table - a living light sculpture that makes music visible.

synesthesia speaker

the long-term play

stanley kubrick created facetime in 1968. it took 45 years to catch up. as modern technology closes the gap and media becomes the increasingly elusive differentiator, can artists and technologists work together to create the future today? the future of consumer electronics will be not be determined by the next great product idea, but by a brand-foundation that enables a world of products & a community that expresses itself through them. this is the starting point that we optimize for. from there, anything is possible.

final image

skyline is a team of artists from cupertino
most recently, making films as RAINBOW PARC*

dreaming of a future...

skyline is a contemporary art project exploring consumer technology, myth, & the modern brand. we're approaching hardware from the foundation of myth. consumer electronics is ripe for a new approach. improvements in small-batch manufacturing & 3D printing are optimizing production cycles, while consumer habits shift from loose monolithic obligations to niche purchase decisions that express identity. as formulaic attention-pleas grow stale to an increasingly media-literate consumer, companies will be forced to engage more meaningfully with the cultural mesh. the physical object is primed for the modern media landscape. hardware must take from fashion: not just a solution to a pain-point, but an opportunity to inhabit a world - and the tactile artifacts that define it.

myth and material diagram

bridging myth & material

myth

what if star wars was crafted to sell the lightsaber? each product serves as the center of a narrative cycle. like a film fragmented across the canvas of social media, characters, settings, narrative arcs, & products interweave on the timeline. every cycle brings a new story. the narrative expands like an anthology as products evolve in tandem. the skyline myth begins in modern times, in the teenage bedrooms of a generation raised on the internet, dreaming of a world beyond the screen. inspired by our upbringing, the brand-world harkens back to the spirit of silicon valley - the original future myth, where geodesic domes were being built in the mountains, and kids still dreamt in the garage. skyline is a modern sci-fi epic told across technology & media - an ever-evolving story of today, tomorrow, and the tools that move us between.

myth block compilation

techno utopia & teenage rebellion

material

can a simple electronic device use design & media to create an expressive object of desire? the initial goal is to prove a hypothesis at low cost, to build the genesis of an enduring brand, and to establish a system where increasingly complex products & media can grow in tandem.

SYNC

the overstimulation of modern life has destabilized the internal state of a generation. anxiety is a daily trial, but existing solutions force people to turn to screens - the source of this anxiety. SYNC is a small screen-less device that uses haptics, LED's & subtle expansion to guide a user through brief breath-work sequences. meant to hang from a keychain, the device serves as both an expressive accessory & functional device - a living orb that aligns you with the rhythm of the cosmos. the device rejects the integration of modern devices. there are no apps to connect, data to be tracked, or account to be made - just breathe.

form block compilation

organic electronics

form

inspired by geodes & water stones, SYNC has a textured, organic form-factor cast in flesh-like translucent silicone. LED's & internal diffusers give the orb a celestial glow that move in sync to the devices 'breath.' no orb is the same. custom diffusers set at randomized axes create unique light fragments in every device.

function

a user turns on the orb with a tap & hold. pressure sensors signal the LEDs, which glow default state: [calm]. double-tapping offers the option to switch modes, while a single tap begins the sequence. a haptic count-in prompts the first cycle: SYNC contracts and expands - its cadence syncopated to haptic rhythm and LEDs. haptics shift their shape to denote inhale, hold, & exhale. the user aligns their breath to the orb for the duration of the sequence. an elongated haptic signals a final exhale. the device compresses to its initial form. a final long-tap turns the device off.

focus calm sleep modes

focus / calm / sleep

mechanics

SYNC uses an onboard control system & battery to process a few key functions: haptics - a haptic actuator creates rhythms to guide user through cycles. pulses can shift in intensity & texture to distinguish inhale, exhale, hold, and different modes. expansion / contraction - a small linear actuator pushes against the pre-shrunk silicone shell to create a subtle physical swell that aligns with breath cycles. light - multiple LEDs emanate a soft glow through the translucent shell. an internal diffuser shapes light into organic gradients & atmospheres. touch sensor - a single seamless touch sensor allows the user to turn the device on/off, switch modes, and begin sequences. mode logic - the onboard system stores different breathing sequences: [sleep], [calm], & [focus]. each mode is programmed with specific haptics, contraction, and light behavior.

cycle 1

a ball of light crosses the silicon valley sky before striking the ordinary high school campus of SOREN, the rebellious teenage protagonist of cycle 1. as he and his group of friends examine the glowing object in a crater of scorched earth, a mysterious connection is established between them and the divine. they take the object back to their garage and it begins to take shape as SYNC. the story around SYNC reflects the world it lands in: modern overstimulation, and the teenage desire for freedom - one that can only be found when you remember your connection to something greater. unplug from the screen plug into the universe

cycle 1

the first skyline product fell from the sky

[untitled] synesthesia speaker

loose ideas around a potential second product: the lava lamp of the future - our second product is a bluetooth desk-speaker that uses ai & 3D projection to visualize music. music is ingested & broken into stems. graphics (color, texture, & motion) are mapped to variable sonic parameters (rhythm, frequency, timbre, etc). every song - a unique combination of stems - each with a unique set of parameters determine how visuals evolve. sensors capture real-time environmental data (light, temperature, time of day, etc) which operate as additional parameters. every visual is unique to that moment. graphics are split into angled perspectives and projected through calibrated prisms to create a floating, volumetric light form. music & visuals play in harmony at the corner of a desk or center of a dining table - a living light sculpture that makes music visible.

synesthesia speaker

the long-term play

stanley kubrick created facetime in 1968. it took 45 years to catch up. as modern technology closes the gap and media becomes the increasingly elusive differentiator, can artists and technologists work together to create the future today? the future of consumer electronics will be not be determined by the next great product idea, but by a brand-foundation that enables a world of products & a community that expresses itself through them. this is the starting point that we optimize for. from there, anything is possible.

final image