# Niklas Roy > Berlin-based artist, inventor, thinker and tinkerer working at the intersection of art, science and technology. He builds machines, kinetic installations and curious interfaces that invite public participation; his works are shown in museums, science centers and public spaces. - [About](https://www.niklasroy.com/about/): biography, exhibitions, press - [Diary](https://www.niklasroy.com/diary/): photo diary of ongoing work - [Contact](https://www.niklasroy.com/contact/) - Profiles: , , , ## Projects (85, newest first) - [Glashütte Trash Clock](https://www.niklasroy.com/gtc/) (2026, Mechanical Clockwork): “Glashütte Trash Clock” is a fully functioning clockwork made from trash and other stuff that I found in Glashütte, Saxony. - [Optomat](https://www.niklasroy.com/optomat/) (2026, Participatory Machine Sculpture): A participatory machine sculpture, built with more than fifty visitors at Museum Tinguely in Basel – full of optical effects and made from discarded toys. - [Robot Factory](https://www.niklasroy.com/robotfactory/) (2023/25, Research Project): Tiny drawing robots turn my workshop into an art factory – a research project on robotics, generative art, perception and the history of AI. - [Generative Art 1€](https://www.niklasroy.com/oneEuro/) (2024/25, Vending Machine): “Generative Art 1€” is a coin-operated vending machine for unique plotter drawings. A generative algorithm continuously draws an animated black line on a… - [Gute Frage!](https://www.niklasroy.com/gutefrage/) (2024, Workshop & Installation): “Gute Frage!” (“Good question!”) – a kids' workshop in Frankfurt that turned a helical staircase into an interactive forest of over 200 DIY question signs. - [Strahlomat](https://www.niklasroy.com/strahlomat/) (2023/24, Kinetic Light Installation): Strahlomat is a kinetic light installation: motorized spotlights, color gels, lenses and mirrors cast moving shadows from KITA's windows onto the Finnish snow. - [KKPS](https://www.niklasroy.com/kkps/) (2023, Art in Architecture): Eight large pulleys with colorful ropes let the children of a Bremen school hang their artworks high above the staircase – sculpture and infrastructure. - [Under Construction](https://www.niklasroy.com/underconstruction/) (2023, Interactive exhibition): Under Construction was a five-week interactive exhibition in Namur's Le Pavillon: a giant DIY lab where new art machines were built while it was open. - [Maschinenmosaik](https://www.niklasroy.com/mm/) (2023, Collaborative Mural): Maschinenmosaik is a 500 m² public artwork in Berlin-Lichtenberg, created by hundreds of neighbors with an arcade machine on wheels and local graffiti artists. - [Visitors Magnet](https://www.niklasroy.com/visitorsmagnet/) (2022, Interactive Installation): Visitors Magnet is an interactive art installation that invites its audience to uncover the mysteries of magnetism and electricity within a cabinet of… - [Deflektron](https://www.niklasroy.com/deflektron/) (2022, Interactive Installation): Deflektron is an interactive installation that invites its audience to explore the magnetic properties of electrons and to engage with the world of… - [Operation KiBa](https://www.niklasroy.com/kiba/) (2022, Interactive Ice Cream Meltdown): Operation KiBa is a game in which players collect scoops of ice cream with remote-controlled vehicles – a mobile installation made for kids in Frankfurt. - [Reading Glasses Stereoscope](https://www.niklasroy.com/stereoscope/) (2022, Parametric Bastelbogen & Workshop): A DIY stereoscope made from cheap reading glasses – with an interactive online generator for a craft sheet that fits any pair of lenses. - [Bastelkoffer](https://www.niklasroy.com/bastelkoffer/) (2022, DIY Suitcases): Bastelkoffer are lendable DIY suitcases, filled with thematic boxes of materials and tools for craft and electronics workshops with kids and youth. - [Bonprix](https://www.niklasroy.com/bonprix/) (2022, Shopping Game): Bonprix is the twisted re-creation of a supermarket’s self-checkout as an exciting arcade machine. - [Polyskop](https://www.niklasroy.com/polyskop/) (2021, Art in Architecture): POLYSKOP is a permanent art installation that I made for the new building at the Gemeinschaftsschule Campus Efeuweg, a public school in Berlin / Neukölln… - [Graffomat](https://www.niklasroy.com/graffomat/) (2021, Spray Can Plotter): Graffomat is a large spray can plotter that paints on the legal graffiti walls near my workshop in Berlin, developed together with the local graffiti scene. - [Vektorkollektor](https://www.niklasroy.com/vektorkollektor/project.html) (2021, Mobile Installation): VEKTORKOLLEKTOR is a participative installation with which people can draw images using a joystick. - [Cyborg Control](https://www.niklasroy.com/cyborg_control/) (2021, Interactive Shop Window): A remote-controlled toy cyborg in our shop window, which passers-by could steer with their smartphones through a slowly growing miniature world. - [Yukikaki Research Station](https://www.niklasroy.com/YRS/) (2020, Energy Harvesting Research): The “Yukikaki Research Station” repurposes snow shovels (Japanese: “Yukikaki”) and other snow related gear as experimental wind turbines. - [Smart Fairy Tale](https://www.niklasroy.com/smartfairytale/) (2020, Installation & Workshop): “Smart Fairy Tale” is a remote controlled story machine. A little red ball rolls through a maze of transparent pipes. - [my own insta ;)](https://www.niklasroy.com/myowninsta/) (2020, Photo Sharing App): In 2020 I started an online photo diary on my website, as an alternative to social media. - [The Spooky Machine](https://www.niklasroy.com/spookymachine/) (2020, Halloween Display): The Spooky Machine is a Covid-safe Halloween puppet theater behind the glass door of my workshop, full of light effects to spook the neighborhood. - [Please Leave A Message](https://www.niklasroy.com/pleaseleaveamessage/) (2020, Interactive Shop Window): “Please Leave A Message” is a public message board that I installed in the large window of my workshop. - [Micromarble etc.](https://www.niklasroy.com/micromarble_etc/index.html) (2019, Smartwatch Apps): Micromarble, Control Center, Magnetometer and Tiny Typer – apps that I wrote for the card10, the programmable badge of the Chaos Communication Camp 2019. - [Card10 Cover Generator](https://www.niklasroy.com/card10covergenerator/index.html) (2019, Generative 3D Model): A customizable, 3D-printable cover for the card10 badge, modeled entirely with code in OpenSCAD. - [TRUE/FALSE](https://www.niklasroy.com/diypolygraph/) (2019, Polygraph Workshop): TRUE/FALSE was a workshop in which party guests built their own DIY polygraphs (“lie detectors”) – playing with truth, fake and the quantified self. - [Flying Pixel Portrait Camera](https://www.niklasroy.com/fppc/) (2018, Experimental Camera): The Flying Pixel Portrait Camera uses a video beamer, a single photo resistor, an Arduino and a PC for taking photos of people’s faces. - [Advanced Selfie Machines](https://www.niklasroy.com/asm/) (2018, Workshop): In 2018 I gave a little workshop at HEAD, in which we challenged the selfie culture by developing our own "Advanced Selfie Machines. - [Wasserorgel von Winnenden](https://www.niklasroy.com/wasserorgelvonwinnenden/) (2018, Interactive Sound Installation): The “Wasserorgel von Winnenden” is a musical fountain, powered by eight pressure washers and controlled by a musical keyboard. - [J'ai faim!](https://www.niklasroy.com/jai_faim/) (2018, Mechatronic Game): This mechatronic game deals with eating. The player has to feed Barbie with sushi, hence the title “J'ai faim!”, which is French for “I'm hungry!”. - [Bubble Blast](https://www.niklasroy.com/bubbleblast) (2017/18, Electronic Game): Bubble Blast is an electronic game for two players. Each player remotely controls a little vehicle, which has an inflated balloon attached to its back and… - [20 Windmill-Powered Music Boxes](https://www.niklasroy.com/20windmills) (2017, Sound Installation): A cluster of windmills is installed above the heads of the pedestrians on a public square in Namur, Belgium. - [DIY Thermal Imaging](https://www.niklasroy.com/project/195/DIY_thermal_imaging) (2017, Thermal Imaging Experiment): DIY thermal imaging with a cheap IR thermometer and an old webcam that reads its display – a low-budget way to visualize temperatures. - [Future Lab 1.0](https://www.niklasroy.com/futurelab) (2017, Workshop): Future Lab 1.0: a week with kids at Theater an der Parkaue, building props for an interactive performance about the future – and burying a time capsule. - [Windmill-Powered Music Box](https://www.niklasroy.com/windmill) (2017, DIY-Instructions): I've built a little windmill that powers a music box. I set it up in front of my workshop, where it was entertaining the entire neighborhood. - [Rocket Science](https://www.niklasroy.com/workshop/205/RocketScience) (2017, Water Rocket Workshop): A water rocket workshop for kids at Werkraum Schöpflin: in three days we built and launched twelve rockets, powered by compressed air and water. - [Scientific Truth Proclaimers](https://www.niklasroy.com/workshop/200/ScientificTruthProclaimers) (2017, Robot Workshop): Robot workshop at Moscow's Polytech Festival: self-driving toy excavators with megaphones that broadcast scientific – and artistic – wisdoms. - [Dumb Communication Devices @ ÉCAL](https://www.niklasroy.com/workshop/199/ECALcommunicationDevices) (2016, Art School Workshop): Art school workshop at ÉCAL in Lausanne: students built communication devices for things a smartphone can't do – like a color-to-smell translator. - [How Barbie gets from A to B](https://www.niklasroy.com/barbiemobility) (2016, Art School Workshop): Barbie has a problem with her personal mobility: She can't walk long distances anymore, as the permanent wearing of high heels has finally deformed her… - [Music Construction Machine](https://www.niklasroy.com/project/191/MCM) (2016, Interactive Sound Installation): The Music Construction Machine is a large, public, generative music box, which people can operate via a big hand crank. - [Remote Controlled Beer Crate](https://www.niklasroy.com/project/189/RC_beer_crate) (2016, Advanced BBQ Accessory): “If you want to be successful on YouTube, you should build things like remote-controlled beer crates. “, Kati once said to me. - [Galactic Dimension](https://www.niklasroy.com/project/182/galacticdimension) (2015, Giant Pinball Machine): Galactic Dimension is a supersized pinball machine which I’ve built for Phæno – an amazing science center in the German city of Wolfsburg. - [Forbidden Fruit Machine](https://www.niklasroy.com/project/180/ForbiddenFruitMachine) (2015, Interactive Painting): The Forbidden Fruit Machine is based on a painting called ‘The Fall of Man’ created by Cornelis Cornelisz van Haarlem in 1592. - [Pneumatic Computing](https://www.niklasroy.com/workshop/184/PneumaticComputing) (2015, Workshop): Pneumatic Computing: a two-week DIY workshop in Mons, in which we built computer-inspired components and a large interactive machine that work with air. - [Pneumatic Sponge Ball Accelerator](https://www.niklasroy.com/project/174/PSBA) (2014, Interactive Installation): The Pneumatic Sponge Ball Accelerator contains 1000 black sponge balls, which are sucked through 150m of transparent pneumatic tubes with the power of a… - [Suck The Balls!](https://www.niklasroy.com/project/170/suck-the-balls) (2014, Interactive Ball Pit): “Suck the Balls!” lets people escape the daily grind and immerse into an endless, ecstatic play with thousands of little yellow plastic balls. - [À LOUER](https://www.niklasroy.com/project/161/A_LOUER.html) (2013, Interactive Shop Window): À LOUER: in an empty shop in Sherbrooke, a robotic curtain follows the pedestrians – an adapted “My little piece of Privacy” that helps to find a new tenant. - [Rapid Robots](https://www.niklasroy.com/workshop/176/rapid_robots) (2013, Robot Workshop): Rapid Robots: a one-week workshop at Fablab Berlin in which every participant built a moving robot from servos, cardboard and one-euro-shop treasures. - [We be Cyborgs](https://www.niklasroy.com/workshop/165/) (2013, Workshop): We be Cyborgs: a workshop in Namur in which we turned ourselves into cyborgs, using one-euro-shop plastic, medical gear and hardware store parts. - [Cardboard Computer](https://www.niklasroy.com/workshop/148/) (2013, Art School Workshop): Cardboard Computer: an art school workshop in Offenbach in which students built computers and their parts out of cardboard, rope and welding wire. - [Micro Monster Modular](https://www.niklasroy.com/project/159/MicroMonsterModular) (2013, Algorithmic Sound Synthesizer): Micro Monster Modular is an algorithmic sound synthesizer: microcontroller modules calculate sound waves in real time from patterns in binary numbers. - [Instant Art Career](https://www.niklasroy.com/project/156/InstantArtCareer) (2013, Interactive Installation and Performance): Instant Art Career: a public painting machine in a Katowice gallery window, operated by passers-by with ropes – launching hundreds of art careers. - [Cardboard Plotter](https://www.niklasroy.com/project/149/cardboard_plotter) (2013, Interactive Object): A working plotter made of cardboard, welding rods and glue, operated with two rotary dials – plus a little code book of drawings to plot. - [Umbrellaphones](https://www.niklasroy.com/workshop/144/) (2012, Sound Workshop): Umbrellaphones: colorful umbrellas turned into wind-driven music boxes and soap bubble machines, built with the audience of a festival in São Paulo. - [Roboter Reiniger](https://www.niklasroy.com/project/142/roboter_reiniger) (2012, Tiny Household Robot): For cleaning purposes I recently built this little robot. It uses a modified toothbrush to sweep floors. - [Perpetual Energy Wasting Machine](https://www.niklasroy.com/project/137/perpetual_energy_wasting_machine) (2012, Site-specific Installation): “Perpetual Energy Wasting Machine” is a rope and pulley mechanism, installed in the staircase of the WRO Art Center in Wroclaw, Poland. - [Ping Pong Ball Suction Construction](https://www.niklasroy.com/project/124/ping_pong_ball_suction_construction) (2012, Interactive Environment): A pneumatic machine that sucks up and transports ping pong balls, built for the Ping Pong Country installation by Bijan Dawallu and Remco Schuurbiers. - [Lumenoise](https://www.niklasroy.com/project/116/Lumenoise) (2011, Audiovisual Synthesizer): Lumenoise is a light pen, which turns your old CRT-TV into an audiovisual synthesizer. You paint abstract geometric patterns and sounds directly onto the… - [Wasserklang Modulsystem](https://www.niklasroy.com/project/110/wasserklang-modulsystem) (2011, Sound Installation): For Berlin’s Museum Night 2011, Imira and I have connected the huge water wheel of the Museum of Technology with several mechanical music boxes. - [Electronic Instant Camera](https://www.niklasroy.com/project/103/electronic_instant_camera) (2011, DIY Camera): My “Electronic Instant Camera”, is a combination of an analog b/w videocamera and a thermal receipt printer. - [PING! - Augmented Pixel](https://www.niklasroy.com/project/101/PING) (2011, Augmented Reality Videogame): PING! – Augmented Pixel is a seventies-style videogame: a classic rectangular ball bounces off anything dark in a live video image. - [Bastel Labor](https://www.niklasroy.com/workshop/111/) (2011, DIY Workshop): Bastel Labor: a DIY electronics workshop at a street fest in my neighborhood, run from my little 1979 Piaggio Ape pick-up truck. - [Surprise Control](https://www.niklasroy.com/workshop/69/surprise-control) (2010, DIY Workshop): Surprise Control: short workshops in Basel and Zürich, in which participants built little “Surprise Machines” around a preprogrammed microcontroller. - [My Little Piece Of Privacy](https://www.niklasroy.com/project/88/my-little-piece-of-privacy) (2010, Interactive Shop Window): A small curtain in my shop window that follows pedestrians with the help of a surveillance camera – and thereby attracts everyone's attention. - [Privéfonteintjes](https://www.niklasroy.com/project/85/privefonteintjes) (2010, Public Installation and Performance): Water wheels on a public fountain in Gent produced electricity for small private fountains, which we rented out to people in the park. - [Erstwiderstand](https://www.niklasroy.com/project/73/erstwiderstand) (2010, Site-specific Installation): Erstwiderstand is a wind tunnel at the entrance of an “Air machines” exhibition in The Hague, which every visitor had to pass. - [Vektron Modular](https://www.niklasroy.com/project/63/vektron-modular) (2010, Generative Sound Synthesizer): “Vektron Modular” is a generative sound synthesizer. The sounds are produced by algorithms, which are stored on little modules. - [Spaziergalerie](https://www.niklasroy.com/workshop/41/spaziergallerie-philipp-findet-alles-gut) (2009, Art School Workshop): Spaziergalerie: a mobile white cube with a kitchen, built with art students in Kassel and strolled through the city to bring art to the people. - [Mechanic Sound Workout](https://www.niklasroy.com/workshop/42/mechanic-sound-workout) (2009, Sound Workshop): Workshop at CTM Festival Berlin: wild electromechanical sound machines with motors, springs and solenoids, sequenced by an old telephone switch. - [Elektromechanische Bar](https://www.niklasroy.com/workshop/44/elektromechanische-bar) (2008, Art School Workshop): A play- and useful bar, built in a workshop at the University of the Arts Berlin, stuffed with an automatic DJ machine, a cheers device and other gadgets. - [Pocket Sound Performer](https://www.niklasroy.com/project/39/psp-pocket-sound-performer) (2008, Generative Sound Synthesizer): PSP is a hand held, all-in-one, highly versatile sound and music production device. The instrument dissolves the boundaries of discrete music production… - [Reinventing Television](https://www.niklasroy.com/workshop/45/reinventing-television) (2008, Art School Workshop): In this technical allround workshop at Valand Academy, the students used gears, motors, microcontrollers and cranks to turn old televisions into new… - [International Dance Party](https://www.niklasroy.com/project/179/idp) (2008, Interactive Sound Installation): The “International Dance Party” looks like a regular flight case – but in reality, it is a complete interactive party-in-a-box! - [Flora and Harmony](https://www.niklasroy.com/project/38/flora-harmony) (2007, Interactive Environment): Flora and Harmony is a technoid, kinetic indoor jungle, built out of common electric household devices and a structure of stage equipment. - [Autohonk](https://www.niklasroy.com/project/37/autohonk) (2007, Car Accessory): Autohonk is a car accessory that honks automatically whenever the driver hits the brake – a comment on Romanian traffic, made during a residency in Sibiu. - [Robotik Room](https://www.niklasroy.com/project/35/robotik-room) (2007, Robotic Environment): Robotik Room is a huge machine that automatically sets up a white cube exhibition space within seconds – made to fit into former factory halls. - [Gallerydrive - The Grand Illusion](https://www.niklasroy.com/project/40/gallerydrive-the-grand-illusion) (2006, Immersive Installation): Gallerydrive / The Grand Illusion is an all-in-one 1990’s immersive media art museum machinery drive-through videogame-like real world cyberspace… - [Gallerydrive](https://www.niklasroy.com/project/34/gallerydrive) (2006, Robotic Exhibition System): Gallerydrive extrapolates the technical capabilities of an audio guide in order to achieve an art perception experience at a maximum level of control by… - [Reconstructing Relay Logics](https://www.niklasroy.com/workshop/46/reconstructing-relay-logics) (2005, DIY Workshop): Workshop in Hong Kong on relay computing: we turned a large toy tank into the “Art Tank”, an autonomous robot controlled by relay logic. - [Dokumat 500](https://www.niklasroy.com/project/33/dokumat-500) (2005, Robotic Home Video System): Dokumat 500 is an autonomous documentary robot that films home videos and edits them at the same time – creative decisions included. - [Grafikdemo](https://www.niklasroy.com/project/32/grafikdemo) (2004, Interactive Object): Grafikdemo is a physical wireframe teapot inside a Commodore CBM cabinet, rotated via the keyboard – it looks like an old computer animation. - [Pongmechanik](https://www.niklasroy.com/project/31/pongmechanik) (2004, Electro-mechanical Game): Pongmechanik is an electromechanical version of the early digital tennis game Pong. It uses computer technology of the 1940's to implement a computer… - [Teleflipper](https://www.niklasroy.com/project/30/teleflipper) (2002, Interactive Installation): Teleflipper is a closed circuit installation, that consists of two parts: a Star Trek pinball machine and a video game cabinet. - [Trigon](https://www.niklasroy.com/project/86/trigon) (1998, Shortfilm): This is a dark fantastic shortfilm about a person who gets lost in the media. The film plays on February, 29 th in 1951 - which explains the obscure…