Motes are simple and suitable for indoor day and night events.

Individual arrangements can be made for outdoor events and festivals.

They can be run as a self-contained installation or be tailored to your site.

Technical Requirements

Helium. That's what makes them float. How much depends on how many you want.

Time. The motes are made and released gradually. For best effect, the space needs to be active for at least four hours. The longer, the better. A gradual build-up over an extended period (periods of activity over days, even weeks) works very well too. Once made, the motes can last for weeks, so they can leave an extended visual presence even when not floating.

Venue. This work is very simple and clean, so can be tailored to most venues. The more interesting the air currents and changes in temperature, the more they will do. They like radiators, gathering above them in slow figures-of-eight. They work very well in closed-up shops with big windows. On summer days when the sun moves in and out of clouds, they will sink and rise with it. They like people, and will sometimes follow in their wake like desperate admirers. On a practical note, if your venue has motion sensitive burglar alarms, the motes will need to be in a space where they can be carefully contained, particularly if you have high ceilings!

Lighting. So long as you can see them, it's basically fine. They can also be lit very dramatically. They are fun with stage smoke too. (I have a machine). Clear ones can also work with laser lights etc. Very adaptable. UV/glow-in-the-dark is also an option.

Sound. They are completely silent unless they burst (which happens surprisingly rarely). The helium cannister makes a bit of noise. They are fine if there is a lot of other noise going on, it doesn't affect the piece at all.

Safety. They're pretty safe. Some venues prefer them to be contained away from the public in case they take someone's eye out (unlikely, but I guess possible), some are happy for them to be amongst people. Safety glasses are also an option. Its fun to look at people in science goggles.