Austin’s TEMPO program invited artist to create temporary public art that would engage residents, promote tourism, and spark imagination. The artwork needed to be practical to install and remove.

Flow Factory: An installation where participants synchronize movement to collectively enter flow state, controlling an immersive audiovisual environment that responds to their shared rhythm.

Creative Director: Developed the concept, wrote the grant, administered the contracts and produced the project with the Vurv new media arts collective, which I co-founded. 

Adrian Thomas, Generative Motion Graphics
Harry Scott, Hardware, Software
Alan Koda, Generative Sound Design
City Coordinator: Anna Bradley

Flow state emerges at the sweet spot between challenge and skill. We used Skip It—that nostalgic ’90s toy—as the vehicle. Difficult enough to demand focus, yet intuitive enough to learn in minutes. We retrofitted them with motion sensors. When two participants reached “flow state”—that is, when they synced up in rhythm with each other—the system rewarded them with more harmonious audiovisual feedback. A swarm of particles on screen coalesced into a spinning sphere. And discordant sound effects became one slow, satisfying vibration.