MEDUSA

The Medusa's head logo is emblematic of Versace.
It's a logo that fixes the viewer in a deadly gaze, designed by Gianni Versace in the early 90s to represent the brand.

In Greek mythology, the Medusa's story is a violent one culminating in a savage ending of the Gorgon's life under the sword of Perseus who employed trickery and stealth to avoid being turned to stone by Medusa's gaze.
Perhaps the most intriguing representation of Medusa is by Rubens who captures the violence of the final moments with the escaping snakes captured in lucid strokes.

We took Rubens's interpretation of Medusa as a point of departure — by abstracting and elevating the snake form to high art with refined details and delicate materiality — designing, developing and manufacturing a vodka-spitting soft robotic animatronic sculpture for “Pantheon” a new lounge bar in Beijing we designed and that’s furnished by The Versace Home Collection.

Using Lidar sensors detecting people's movement — activating an array of 9 stepper motors the snake contorts into various positions before relaxing upon being approached, place a glass beneath the head and a shot of vodka is dispensed.

This interactive sculpture has taken many months of design and development. With a supportive client, we’ve been able to take our R&D to a new level of technical resolution by blending art and technology.
With thanks to programming and development input from Vasily Betin, Sokaris Studio.