Twelve wooden spheres move in changing patterns inside an illuminated freestanding wall, with music and projected visuals in sync. Created by Steven Benton / TBD, the kinetic sculpture Room as Instrument was presented at SITE, a one-night experimental art festival at the Goat Farm Arts Center in Atlanta, on October 3, 2026.
Each sphere hangs from a motor-driven winch. Together, their changing positions turn mathematical functions into physical movement. TouchDesigner connects the motion patterns, music playback, and real-time projected visualization. The exhibition ran a seven-track playlist with programmed motion sequences and transitions between patterns.
The eight-foot-wide, seven-foot-tall kinetic sculpture frame contains three removable hardware assemblies: a control module and two six-motor modules. I developed the mechanical design, fabricated the wall, and integrated the electronics, firmware, and motion software. Testing the suspended spheres before enclosing the mechanism allowed the movement to be checked at full scale.
Derivative supported the installation with a TouchDesigner Commercial license. During the event, I operated the installation with the TouchDesigner network visible on the monitor. Visitors examined the interface and asked how the system worked.
Room as Instrument — Lisa Li × (TBD) Design × Monsieur Blanc. Material and spatial environment: Lisa Li. Kinetic, control, and projection systems: Steven Benton / (TBD) Design. Speakers and music: Monsieur Blanc. Their contributions represented Material, Energy, and Resonance.
→ Full collaboration
→ Engineering and development
TouchDesigner generates twelve position channels from mathematical functions and sends them over serial to two BTT Octopus V1.1 controller boards, driving twelve stepper-motor winches. The motor hardware uses NEMA 17 motors and TMC2209 drivers; embedded firmware written in C++ with PlatformIO handles motor movement.
The exhibition interface selects music tracks with programmed motion sequences. Seven-second transitions blend between patterns, and the same pattern selection drives the real-time visualization projected into the room. Additional tools support individual motor calibration, diagnostics, and an emergency-stop button. The software also uses Python and GLSL.
Project Page | Steven Benton / TBD | Instagram
Photographs: Steven Benton; audience photograph: James Ly.
