Zac Zamora and his Variance Design team are pairing art with science in the Hill Country, for the benefit of museum visitors across the country.
Underwriting support for this story provided graciously by the Science Mill in Johnson City. Look for details below regarding their November 10, 2018 Come Grow With Us benefit featuring Variance Designs’ new Aquaponics Greenhouse.
Story by Pamela Price
Perhaps you’ve driven past that massive silver hand and forearm and wondered about its origins?
Measuring 30 feet in height and constructed of more than 500 stainless steel triangles, it’s an impressive sight–all the more so if you’re a kid at the foot of it who gets to fiddle with the joystick that prompts the Colossal Robotic Hand’s movement.
One of several Science Mill exhibits meant to foster interested in science, technology, engineering, art, and math (commonly referred to as “STEAM” by K-12 educators), the massive appendage also marks this rural Hill Country community as a significant, emerging incubator of art and design. As proof, one can point to the eight art galleries centered on Johnson City’s downtown as well as the man who led the team behind the giant hand, Zac Zamora of Variance Design.
According to the company’s website, the business is “an interdisciplinary fabrication shop that creates interactive experiences.” But you kind of need to see a Variance Design project in action in order to grasp fully what it is they do.
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Impressive, eh?
South Texas Roots
For well over a decade, Zamora has spearheaded innovative permanent exhibits at renowned zoos, museums, and science centers.
“I’ve always had a natural curiosity fostered by having the freedom to explore my surroundings as a child in El Campo,” said Zamora, adding that his father “was a fabricator and grandfather was an inventor. Growing up, I spent a great deal of time with my grandparents and even more time in my grandpas various tool sheds tinkering. My dad worked with metals and made sculptures both big and small, including jewelry.”
For college Zamora attended The University of Texas at Austin, picking up an undergraduate degree in Zoology. Indeed, in an era of STEAM-focused schools and curricula, Zamora’s career and work may be among the finest regional examples of how far into the world youthful passion, talent, and a carefully nurtured art and technology skills set can take a person. With clients like Amazon, Smithsonian Institution, Houston Zoo, American Museum of Natural History, Thinkery (formerly the Austin Children’s Museum), and others, Zamora and his Variance team has constructed an impressive assortment of installations: lush living walls featuring vibrant green plants, terrarium, a ball machine.
Process and Appeal
Of his creative process, Zamora describes it as “very organic,” beginning with a concept or idea that “goes through numerous iterations, collaborations, presentations” with project stakeholders.
“One thing that is different about Variance versus other design-builders is that we thrive on the dynamics. If we get a project to a certain level of completion and we see an opportunity to go in a different direction, we explore it. It can create more work in the end, but it is the way our creative process works best.”
For museum professionals and visitors, Zamora’s work is noteworthy for its artful balance of technology, science, and inherent visual appeal.
“Aesthetics to me, is to find the balance between form and function. If something is pretty to look at, it will engage the visitor whether it’s a sculpture or a living exhibit. I like to build pretty things that actually work. My stepfather was into function. He would often times build things that worked, but didn’t look good. My father, on the other hand, would build things that looked good, but didn’t work well. If I don’t want to take a picture of it, what’s the point of putting it on display?”
Johnson City Connections
Several Variance Design projects, in addition to the aforementioned hand, are visible at the Science Mill. They include the hypnotic Wave Pendulum, a clever homage to those desktop Newton’s cradles that were incredibly popular in the 1980s. There’s also a new 1,000-square-foot Aquaponics Greenhouse coming early 2019 that will immerse visitors into a tropical environment, providing schoolchildren in the area with hands-on access to world-class science education opportunities.
“The Science Mill is what pulled me to Johnson City, particularly the founder, Bonnie Baskin. What’s kept me in here is the history, topography, the spring-fed creek, friendly people and details including the architecture of the local USPS,” said Zamora.
Also a pull for the designer is what he calls the “interesting, eclectic art and sculpture amassed by [Echo in Johnson City’s] Linda Haddock,” whom our readers met earlier this year.
“I’d find myself having stimulating conversations with her,” said Zamora. “She’d educate me on pieces she had that I was drawn to and I would, in turn help her by assisting with design and exhibiting her art. A lot of this, was just so unexpected and out of context of what one would think Johnson City is.”
The town’s authentic rural vibe held appeal as well.
“I’m also tickled by certain aspects of Johnson City, like, Lowe’s, the one stop hardware and grocery store. It feels old fashioned, and yet it isn’t.”
Expansion and Variety
Currently there are two Variance studios in town, but the company is constructing a new Johnson City studio that will merge the existing production spaces. This will give Zamora and his crew more space in which to leave their collective mark on the museum world.
Interestingly, when asked what he most wants people to understand about his work and its evolution, Zamora responds by explaining the meaning behind the word “variance” in Variance Design.
“We diverge from what’s the norm by embracing new materials, methods, machinery, colors, patterns, and textures to create something. It’s variance and variety. And it’s what keeps my ADD-mind focused.”
Pamela Price is the founder of TheTexasWildflower.com.
A Final Word From Our Sponsor
Science Mill supporters have the chance to preview Variance Design’s Aquaponics Greenhouse first hand in Johnson City on Saturday, November 10 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Details.
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