Over Coffee® is on hiatus during production of a special-edition episode. Please enjoy this reposting of one of our top episodes of 2024!

Fine artist/educator Niklas Roy builds an invitation into his work.

That invitation: “Come and play. Enjoy being creative.”

Niklas, who creates art with technology, specializes in interactive installations which center on a spirit of fun and discovery. His goal: to make art accessible to people from all walks of life.

The results tend to be highly engaging.

Currently, according to his YouTube channel, he’s reimagining the traditional school bell. Students get to create and upload their own melodies. These get stored in an archive, and each time the bell rings, a physical instrument selects and plays one of these, randomly. In addition, Niklas writes, there’s a custom “clock” on which the hands “dance” in time with the melodies.

An excursion through creativity

A look at his website reveals almost-innumerable installations, centered around the same sense of fun and exploration.

A mini-robot, or “drawbot”, equipped with a glittery parasol, draws on a whiteboard. A “Generative Art 1C” vending machine dispenses unique fine-art drawings when visitors insert one euro. A mechatronics game challenges participants to feed sushi to a popular fashion doll–which “eats” by extending an outsized tongue.

LED lights, bubbles, electronic music and vehicles which visitors can ride have all been components of Niklas’ installations.

“Openness and accessibility”

And his projects are open-source, encouraging makers to use their own creative talents!

“I believe in openness and accessibility, which is why I share each project’s schematics, code, and documentation online—encouraging others to copy, remix, and build upon my work,” Niklas writes, on his website.

He also enjoys sharing his talents in workshops and conference presentations. (His “About” page includes a link to his “Cardboard Computer Workshop”.)

In this 2024 Over Coffee® interview, Niklas shares the story of his creative journey, takes us behind the scenes for a closer look at some of his installations and offers his advice to aspiring artists.

On this edition of Over Coffee® we cover:

• Where Niklas’ interest in machines, inventing and art originated;

• His favorite memories of growing up in a highly creative household;

• Some of the influences on his creative journey;

• His first interactive display;

• A closer look at his creative process;

• Why he takes an open-source approach with his creations;

• The story of his “Mosaic Machine” installation, an arcade machine that allowed participants to create drawings that ultimately became a mosaic in a Berlin public square;

• Niklas’ advice to creatives who may want to make art their career.