Public art has always been a negotiation between artist and site, between vision and civic permission, between what a place is and what it might become. But when artists utilize emerging technologies, that negotiation grows more complex, and more consequential. Robotic fabrication, generative AI, 3D Printing, large-scale projection, these technologies are reshaping what's possible at the scale of the street, the plaza, the transit hub. The question worth asking isn't simply what these tools can do, but what they mean when deployed in shared public space: who benefits, whose experience is centered, and whether the pursuit of the novel risks outpacing the communities these works are meant to serve. The most compelling artists working at this intersection aren't just early adopters — they're asking technology to do something harder than impress. They're asking it to belong. Here are 7 projects recently uploaded to CODAworx which demonstrate new and novel applications of the most cutting-edge technologies being applied to public art:
MARIS by Danielle Roney Studio
Maris is a monumental public art installation by artist Danielle Roney, unveiled in April 2025 at the MSC Cruise Terminal in Port Miami. It is one of the world's largest permanent real-time projection mapping installations, featuring a massive 166-million-pixel digital canvas that transforms the terminal's architecture into a "living ocean".
OPAL by Gentilhomme
OPAL is an interactive experimental installation by the Montreal-based creative studio Gentilhomme that explores the relationship between the micro and macro worlds. Designed to evoke a meditative state, it allows participants to influence a digital ecosystem using custom-made interactive "flashlights". This installation oushes the boundaries of interactivity by utilizing bespoke handheld devices to deepen the realism and immersion of the responsive digital artwork: Originally an R&D project from the Gentilhomme LAB, it was developed into a scalable multi-user experience using 3D motion tracking and custom software.
Shhh Pavilion: The Hopekeeper by Ignition Arts, LLC
Shhh Pavilion: The Hopekeeper is a large-scale sculptural landmark installed in late 2024 at Progress Park in San Diego's Research and Development District (RaDD). While fabricated and managed by the Indianapolis-based studio Ignition Arts, LLC, the artwork was designed by the renowned Chilean studio collective gt2P (Great Things to People).
The intricate pattern on its surface uses Voronoi tessellation, a geometric method that mimics natural growth patterns found in shells and cellular structures. A computationally designed marvel, this structure comprises nearly 700 CNC-cut and formed steel and aluminum parts, meticulously assembled into a tessellated, hexagonal shell.
MX3D Bridge by MX3D ArtLab
The MX3D Bridge is the world's first 3D-printed stainless steel pedestrian bridge, a landmark project realized by MX3D ArtLab in collaboration with Joris Laarman Lab and lead structural engineering firm Arup. Unveiled in Amsterdam's Red Light District in July 2021 by Queen Máxima, the 12-meter-long structure spans the Oudezijds Achterburgwal canal
The bridge was created using Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM), where industrial robots equipped with welding torches "draw" steel structures in mid-air, layer by layer. It is composed of 4,500 to 6,000 kg of stainless steel. The printing process took approximately six months and was completed in a factory rather than on-site due to safety and technical constraints.
Bio-Informatic Digester by Terreform ONE
Bio-Informatic Digester is a "living machine" and public art installation designed by Vivian Kuan and Mitchell Joachim of the non-profit design studio Terreform ONE. Unveiled in April 2021, the project was created for the "A New View" public art challenge in Camden, New Jersey, to raise awareness about illegal dumping and waste management. At the base of the structure, a transparent "tesseract" cube contains approximately 100,000 mealworms (Tenebrio molitor). These insects have the unique ability to safely digest polystyrene (Styrofoam)—a material traditionally considered non-biodegradable—turning it into compostable mulch.
The Beach: Robotic Performance by Volvox Labs
The Beach is a permanent robotic performance installation created by Volvox Labs in collaboration with artist Roy Nachum. Located at Mercer Labs Museum of Art and Technology in New York City, the piece features an industrial robotic arm that performs as the artist's "alter-ego" The installation uses a large KUKA industrial robot arm to simulate human emotions and interactions within a physical environment of sand.
Bat Mistress by Iurii Aleksandrov
Bat Mistress is a dark, surrealist artwork by the contemporary Russian artist Iurii Aleksandrov. Known for his intricate and often macabre style, Aleksandrov frequently explores themes of gothic fantasy and mythology through detailed engravings and drawings. Uniquely, this sculpture uses cutting-edge vacuum autoclaving to produce a sculpture entirely out of carbon fiber- this is extremely uncommon for works of this scale due to the special technology required to manipulate the material.
