2004 – Array of Belts Visualize Public Presence

Standards and Double Standards is an interactive installation that consists of 10 to 100 fastened belts that are suspended at waist height from stepper motors on the ceiling of the exhibition room. Controlled by a computerized tracking system, the belts rotate automatically to follow the public, turning their buckles slowly to face passers-by. When several people are in the room their presence affects the entire group of belts, creating chaotic patterns of interference. Non-linear behaviours […]

Standards and Double Standards is an interactive installation that consists of 10 to 100 fastened belts that are suspended at waist height from stepper motors on the ceiling of the exhibition room. Controlled by a computerized tracking system, the belts rotate automatically to follow the public, turning their buckles slowly to face passers-by. When several people are in the room their presence affects the entire group of belts, creating chaotic patterns of interference. Non-linear behaviours emerge such as turbulence, eddies and relatively quiet regions. One of the aims of this piece is to visualize complex dynamics, turning a condition of pure surveillance into an unpredictable connective system. The piece creates an "absent crowd" using a fetish of paternal authority: the belt. Source: Rafael Lozano-Hemmer http://lozano-hemmer.com/standards_and_double_standards.php

Added by: Karine Charbonneau. Category: Interactive installation Tags: kinetic sculpture, presence, tracking, walkable

2004 – Synaptic Caguamas: Visualize Cellular Automata

Synaptic Caguamas is a kinetic sculpture consisting of a motorized Mexican "cantina" bar table with 30 "Caguama"-sized beer bottles (1-litre each). The bottles spin on the table with patterns generated by cellular automata algorithms that simulate the neuronal connections in the brain. Every few minutes the bottles are reset automatically and seeded with new initial conditions for the algorithm, so that the movement patterns are never repeated. This kinetic sculpture is a primitive and absurd […]

Synaptic Caguamas is a kinetic sculpture consisting of a motorized Mexican "cantina" bar table with 30 "Caguama"-sized beer bottles (1-litre each). The bottles spin on the table with patterns generated by cellular automata algorithms that simulate the neuronal connections in the brain. Every few minutes the bottles are reset automatically and seeded with new initial conditions for the algorithm, so that the movement patterns are never repeated. This kinetic sculpture is a primitive and absurd attempt to make tangible the mathematics of recollection and thought. Source: Rafael Lozano-Hemmer. Synaptic Caguamas (2004).

Added by: Karine Charbonneau. Category: Uncertain Tags: beer, cellular automata, kinetic sculpture

2007 – Wavefunction: Visualize Public Presence in Waves

Wavefunction is a kinetic sculpture comprised of fifty to one hundred Charles and Ray Eames moulded chairs (designed in 1948) and placed in a regular array of rows, facing the entrance to the exhibition space. When someone approaches the work, a computerised surveillance system detects their presence and the closest chairs automatically begin to lift off the ground, creating the crest of a wave that then spreads over the whole room. A system of electromechanical pistons raises each chair forty […]

Wavefunction is a kinetic sculpture comprised of fifty to one hundred Charles and Ray Eames moulded chairs (designed in 1948) and placed in a regular array of rows, facing the entrance to the exhibition space. When someone approaches the work, a computerised surveillance system detects their presence and the closest chairs automatically begin to lift off the ground, creating the crest of a wave that then spreads over the whole room. A system of electromechanical pistons raises each chair forty centimetres from the ground. The pistons are controlled by a computer that runs the mathematics of fluid dynamics, thus making the waves interfere with each other, creating turbulence or becoming calm, just like real water. Rafael Lozano-Hemmer http://lozano-hemmer.com/wavefunction.php

Added by: Karine Charbonneau. Category: Interactive installation Tags: fluid dynamics, kinetic sculpture, mechanical chairs

2008 – BMW Kinetic Sculpture

The Kinetic Sculpture is a metaphorical translation of the process of form-finding in art and design. 714 metal spheres, hanging from thin steel wires attached to individually-controlled stepper motors and covering the area of six square meters, animate a seven minute long mechatronic narrative. In the beginning, moving chaotically, then evolving to several competing forms that eventually resolve to the finished object, the kinetic sculpture creates an artistic visualisation of the process of […]

The Kinetic Sculpture is a metaphorical translation of the process of form-finding in art and design. 714 metal spheres, hanging from thin steel wires attached to individually-controlled stepper motors and covering the area of six square meters, animate a seven minute long mechatronic narrative. In the beginning, moving chaotically, then evolving to several competing forms that eventually resolve to the finished object, the kinetic sculpture creates an artistic visualisation of the process of form-finding in different variations. Source: Art+Com. Kinetic Scultpture (2008)

Added by: Yvonne Jansen. Category: Enabling technology Tags: 3D, data sculpture, self-actuated, shape display, steel, kinetic sculpture

2010 – Shanghai Spheres

For the 2010 World Expo at Shanghai, Japanese firms ADK and Murayama and Las-Vegas firm Fisher Technical Services, Inc. created an array of 1,008 15cm diameter actuated spheres, each suspended by its own micro winch. The show does not include data visualizations. Kinetic sculptures made of arrays of suspended spheres abound. An early one is Joe Gilbertson's (2007). More recent ones include Kinetic Rain (2012) and Triptych (2014). Also check 2008 – BMW Kinetic Sculpture on this list. Source: […]

For the 2010 World Expo at Shanghai, Japanese firms ADK and Murayama and Las-Vegas firm Fisher Technical Services, Inc. created an array of 1,008 15cm diameter actuated spheres, each suspended by its own micro winch. The show does not include data visualizations. Kinetic sculptures made of arrays of suspended spheres abound. An early one is Joe Gilbertson's (2007). More recent ones include Kinetic Rain (2012) and Triptych (2014). Also check 2008 – BMW Kinetic Sculpture on this list. Source: taittowers.com.

Added by: Pierre Dragicevic. Category: Enabling technology Tags: large-scale, self-actuated, shape display, kinetic sculpture

2012 – Hypermatrix: Animated Matrix-Walls

2012 Yeosu EXPO HYUNDAI MOTOR GROUP created by media artist group : Jonpasang. Hyper-Matrix is a kinetic landscape installation created for the Hyundai Motor Group Exhibition Pavilion in Korea, the 2012 Yeosu EXPO site. The installation consists of a specially made huge steel construction to support thousands of stepper motors that control 320x320mm cubes that project out of the internal facade of the building. The foam cubes are mounted to actuators that move them forward and back by the […]

2012 Yeosu EXPO HYUNDAI MOTOR GROUP created by media artist group : Jonpasang. Hyper-Matrix is a kinetic landscape installation created for the Hyundai Motor Group Exhibition Pavilion in Korea, the 2012 Yeosu EXPO site. The installation consists of a specially made huge steel construction to support thousands of stepper motors that control 320x320mm cubes that project out of the internal facade of the building. The foam cubes are mounted to actuators that move them forward and back by the steppers, creating patterns across the three-sided display. Comprised of what at first appear to be three blank white walls, Hyper-Matrix installation quickly comes to life as thousands of individual cubic units forming a field of pixels begin to move, pulsate, and form dynamic images across the room, creating infinite number of possibilities in the vertical, 180 degree, landscape. In addition, as the boxes are arranged at only 5mm narrow intervals, the wall can also be a nice moving screen for the images projected on to it. Source: Jonpasang, Hypermatrix.

Added by: Yvonne Jansen. Category: Enabling technology Tags: data sculpture, exhibition, kinetic sculpture

2015 – Dataseeds: Flying Data

The dataseeds are a translation of data on ‘falls on and from stairs and steps, aged 50-89’. The data drives the surface area of the wing of the dataseed, which dictates the spin and falling speed of the data-object©. Source: Nick Dulake and Ian Gwilt (2015) Dataseeds - flying data

Added by: Pierre Dragicevic, sent by: Ian Gwilt. Category: Passive physical visualization Tags: injury, kinetic sculpture, plants, seeds

2022 – Kinetic Sculpture of Pi Digits

Pi is a kinetic sculpture based on the noise of randomly distributed digits of the eponymous number. The noise appears as a seemingly inexhaustible well of non-periodic elements, setting the objects in motion. In turn, the object’s shapes communicate the source. Every of the ten installation objects represents a decimal place’s integer, zero to nine. The seemingly infinite quantity of digits triggers the rotating movements of the objects with a predestined sequence but without any […]

Pi is a kinetic sculpture based on the noise of randomly distributed digits of the eponymous number. The noise appears as a seemingly inexhaustible well of non-periodic elements, setting the objects in motion. In turn, the object’s shapes communicate the source. Every of the ten installation objects represents a decimal place’s integer, zero to nine. The seemingly infinite quantity of digits triggers the rotating movements of the objects with a predestined sequence but without any repeating patterns. Video: https://vimeo.com/760540429 Credits: Concept: Robin Woern Development: Niklas Thran Photos: Niklas Thran Source: Robin Woern (2022) Pi. (archived version)

Added by: Robin Woern. Category: Interactive installation Tags: pi, mathemathics, kinetic sculpture

2024 – Dipsea Chimes: A Kinetic Data Sculpture

Dipsea Chimes is a kinetic data sculpture made by information designer Maggie Shi celebrating the Dipsea Race, America’s oldest trail race. Installed on a terrace overlooking Mt. Tamalpais - the race’s iconic setting - it is accessible to the local community. The piece aims to raise awareness of the race’s historical significance, particularly its pioneering role in equity and gender inclusion. To achieve this, the design presents race data in a tangible, interactive format, making it engaging […]

Dipsea Chimes is a kinetic data sculpture made by information designer Maggie Shi celebrating the Dipsea Race, America’s oldest trail race. Installed on a terrace overlooking Mt. Tamalpais - the race’s iconic setting - it is accessible to the local community. The piece aims to raise awareness of the race’s historical significance, particularly its pioneering role in equity and gender inclusion. To achieve this, the design presents race data in a tangible, interactive format, making it engaging and approachable. The installation features 30 suspended paddles, each representing a winning runner from the past 30 years, a subset of the race’s 120-year history. The length of the supporting sticks corresponds to race time, while the paddles encode age and gender-board size scales with age, and color indicates gender. Labels on each paddle display the year, time, age, and gender, allowing viewers to explore the dataset. Sources: Maggie Shi (2025) Dipsea Chimes – A Kinetic Data Sculpture. Information is Beautiful Awards 2024

Added by: Anne-Laure Fréant. Category: Passive physical visualization Tags: race, wood, kinetic sculpture, hand-made