Vicky Zhou – Looking Outwards – 06

Karina Smigla-Bobinski is an intermedia artist that focuses on new media and digital art. One of her more well-known works, “ADA”, is an interactive kinetic drawing installation that produces random strokes due to the nature of how this project was constructed and is meant to be interacted with. ADA is a enormous transparent, helium sphere with charcoal stumps attached all along the outside. This sphere is placed in the context of an expansive, all-white room, in which the user can engage with the sphere by pushing it around. As a consequence of such interaction, random black strokes are drawn, strewn, dotted, and created across the white walls.

Although Karina created ADA with precise measurements and specific intentions — crafting of the helium sphere, strategic placement of the charcoal stubs, and size of the room — the result of her work becomes random — marks created by the public.