Over Coffee® | Stories and Resources from the Intersection of Art and Science | Exploring How to Mak

Over Coffee® | Stories and Resources from the Intersection of Art and Science | Exploring How to Mak


Humor, Joy--and Tech

July 29, 2024

"I find that, often, art is a little bit dry," says artist, inventor and educator Niklas Roy.


BUT--no one could ever describe his work that way.


With the goal of making art accessible to people from all walks of life, Niklas creates fine art from technology. That translates to highly interactive installations, which often put guests into participatory experiences.


LED lights flash. Electronic music plays. Machines blow bubbles, take visitors on rides in fantastic vehicles, and challenge them to games.


Often, the guests get to use their own creativity: drawing in colored lights with a joystick, pulling strings to move paintbrushes across a canvas or adding their contributions to a whiteboard.


A sense of fun pervades his work, which he's exhibited worldwide. in numerous art exhibitions as well as science centers and public squares.


Niklas continues to break down the barriers to making art bot accessible and enjoyable by teaching reflective technology workshops and making his designs open-source. On his website, he shares his project plans, schematics and code with fellow creators. In addtion, he offers videos and tutorials on his YouTube channel.


Niklas talked about his creative journey at the intersection of art, science and technology, shared the stories behind some of his recent works and offered his perspectives on working as an an artist.