Not So Random

Joshua Prince

...

Not So Random

Joshua Prince

...

Not So Random

Joshua Prince

...

Year

2025

Year

2025

Year

2025

Dimensions

12 x 30 x 80 in.

Dimensions

12 x 30 x 80 in.

Dimensions

12 x 30 x 80 in.

Materials

Plexiglass, concrete, PETG, microelectronics, plastic strapping, stainless steel, aluminum, and hardware.

Materials

Plexiglass, concrete, PETG, microelectronics, plastic strapping, stainless steel, aluminum, and hardware.

Materials

Plexiglass, concrete, PETG, microelectronics, plastic strapping, stainless steel, aluminum, and hardware.

This is a public sculpture that is constantly updating a three-dimensional doodle using environmental data. As a site-specific piece, sensors measure temperature and CO2 to approximate activity inside the building at different locations. The sculpture combines a custom designed mechanism, an electronic control box, and a concrete base. Using two types of Arduino microcontrollers, the sculpture can translate cloud sensor data into independent motor commands to each mechanism feeding wire into and out of a plexiglass box. As the plastic wire moves in the box, it contorts, twists, and knots into a unique and constantly changing shape.

Gallery

Front view of Not So Random at the main entrance to the IDEA Factory, 2026. 12 x 30 x 80 in.

Close up view of the lower mechanism in Not So Random, 2026. 12 x 30 x 80 in.

Electrical housing for Not So Random, 2026. 12 x 30 x 80 in.

Initial installation view (2025) at the E.A. Fernandez IDEA Factory.

Credits

Not So Random was commissioned by undergraduate students enrolled in Professor Abigail McEwen’s “Public Art” class in Fall 2024 with support from the Do Good Institute, xFoundry, the College of Arts & Humanities, and the Department of Art History & Archaeology.

Special thanks to Sid Garg (‘26), Abigail King (‘27), Dillon Nguyen (‘25), Kevin Cartwright (MA '26) and Rafael Rodríguez (‘24) for their contributions to this project.

Copyright: Joshua Prince