People arrive, pass, pause and gather in public and shared spaces. Passive interaction uses those ordinary movements as input. Someone may first notice the artwork’s colour or motion, then discover that their own movement changes it.
This approach suits a work that contributes to the atmosphere of a place while allowing circulation to continue. The central design decision is how much influence a person has and how that influence belongs to the composition.
Start with an artwork that holds on its own
The piece needs an autonomous state. It should have a considered appearance when the space is empty and remain coherent as activity increases.
Sensing introduces points of influence into that behaviour. Position might steer a nearby field. Direction might pull a wave along a surface. A pause might leave a trace that gradually disappears. The visual mapping determines the character of the encounter.
How quickly the effect arrives, how far it spreads and how long it remains all matter. These choices make the response perceptible without requiring the work to abandon its own rhythm.
Ondulations: a public route becomes part of the image
Ondulations was presented on a glass facade at Place de Paris in Luxembourg during building renovation. Refractiv conceived the artwork and developed the generative and interactive system, commissioned by TIJO Studio.
Pedestrian movement influenced fluid waves across the glass. The system used observed direction, speed and density to shape the composition’s rhythm and motion. A person could affect the image while continuing along the street, or pause to explore the relationship more closely.
The facade’s geometry and depth informed the visual work. Its public setting supplied the movement. TIJO Studio handled commissioning and creative production, Brain & More project commissioning and coordination, Ville de Luxembourg the public programme, and Pro Musik technical installation and site works. Refractiv provided on-site supervision and remote troubleshooting during the temporary presentation.
Nespresso: proximity within a fluid artwork
At the New York flagship, coffee and cream form a continuously changing image. Computer vision and LiDAR connect visitor movement and proximity to the fluid simulation.
As someone approaches, their local influence increases. Ripples and wakes persist briefly, then merge into the wider flow. The response uses the same material as the autonomous artwork, keeping the experience visually continuous.
Refractiv developed the artwork and interactive system, including specification, implementation and calibration. Commersive Solutions commissioned the work and led AV integration; Stingray supplied the initial concept and pitch, and Bartolini/Lanzi Architects designed the architecture and interior.
Test the range of participation
These works encounter different kinds of movement: lateral passage along a public facade and proximity beside an interior wall. Both give visitors a bounded influence within an independent visual composition.
A prototype should test an empty space, a single visitor and overlapping activity. It should also show how the image settles when input ends. That range reveals whether the relationship remains clear as the setting changes.
If you are considering an artwork for a place people already move through, tell us about the site and the encounter you want to create: Contact Refractiv.