Nespresso New York

The video wall connects the store's retail and experience zones. Its imagery needed to remain calm and recognisable through long opening hours, with enough variation for people who linger or return.

The initial brief called for pre-rendered content whose speed and movement would change with visitor proximity. Refractiv demonstrated a generative approach within the same visual brief. That approach became the basis of the installation: a fluid simulation that creates the image continuously, with coffee and cream as its visual material.

As people draw closer, their presence has more influence on the fluid nearby. Ripples and trails appear, then merge back into the fluid. Someone passing through the store affects the image simply by moving beside it.

Refractiv shaped the palette, fluid motion and limits of that influence. The artwork can continue evolving on its own while responding to activity in the space.

A discreet sensing system combines computer vision and LiDAR to translate visitor movement and proximity into forces within the fluid image. Refractiv developed the software and specified the sensors and hardware. On-site implementation and calibration aligned the sensing and visuals with the installed wall and the retail store's circulation.