Zone structure
From above, each heart rate zone is clearly readable - time spent in each zone expressed as width variation around the form.
Graduation
My heart rate during graduation, turned into a single permanent object. Every zone, every spike, the whole day - held in one piece.
Overview
I have photos from graduation. But a photo captures the moment - not what it felt like. This does.
Intent
Keeping the feeling, not just the moment
Photos from graduation exist, but to me a physical object is more endearing. I wanted to keep that day in a permanent form - and more specifically, I wanted to keep how it felt. The nervousness just before going on stage, and again while walking across it, was the most intense part of the day. That's what I wanted to preserve.
My heart rate data captured exactly that. The spikes are there, the zones are there, the full arc of the day is encoded in this one object in a way no photograph could.
Outcome
The whole ceremony in one object
The result is a single piece that contains the entire graduation ceremony, structured by heart rate zone. The height of the object is defined by my maximum BPM - the moment I was about to go on stage and when I was walking across it. Each zone within that height represents the time I spent there.
It's a reminder of that day. Not how it looked - how it felt.
Images
The finished piece, showing zone structure and full height.
Peak height
The total height is my maximum BPM - recorded as I prepared to go on stage and while I was crossing it.
System
The same encoding logic as Sleep Symphony, applied to a single event rather than a nightly series.
Data to form
- Average heart rate (Whoop baseline) → outer profile and outline
- Maximum BPM → total height of the object
- Time in each heart rate zone → width variation within each zone section
Each parameter is normalised so the final object is proportionally honest to the data. The highest-intensity moments sit at the top - the point just before and during walking on stage is the most physically present part of the piece.
One object
Unlike Sleep Symphony, which produces one piece per night, this is a single object containing the full ceremony. Each heart rate zone is a distinct section, so the full arc of the day - arriving, waiting, the stage, the reception - is all in one place.
The encoding is documented to the same standard as Sleep Symphony, so it can be reproduced exactly or used as a template for a different event.
Material
Nylon PA12, produced in SLS. Chosen because the design demands precision that FDM simply can't deliver.
Specification
Nylon PA12
I chose SLS over FDM because it gives access to higher quality engineering materials and doesn't require support structures. The precise nature of the design - each zone boundary, the outer profile - needs to come out exactly right, and SLS delivers that consistently.
The natural satin finish of sintered Nylon PA12 needs no post-processing, and it communicates the precision of the data without getting in the way of the form.
Commission
If you have a moment worth keeping - graduation, a race, a performance - I can turn your data into a permanent object.