Sneha SubramanyanAbout

Interactive Installation · PULSE Art + Technology Festival

Art of Adaptation

Role
Interaction Designer
Creative Technologist
Timeline
2025 – 2026
Exhibition
PULSE Art + Tech Festival
Telfair Museums, Savannah GA
Built with
Arduino · Processing
RFID · Hall Sensors
Illustrator

About

An interactive Rangoli installation that reimagines an ancient daily ritual as a gesture-driven, sensor-based experience.

Overview

Art of Adaptation is an interactive installation exploring the role of cultural arts (Rangoli) as a tool for stress relief — using interactive design to replicate physical interactions and make the practice more accessible and engaging to a new user group. It was exhibited as part of the PULSE Art + Technology Festival at the Telfair Children's Art Museum in Savannah, GA.

Background

Rangoli is an ancient Indian art form made outside homes to infuse positive energy into the space and welcome people in. Each morning, women across South Asia create these geometric patterns, which carry deep symbolic meaning — from lotus flowers representing spirituality to peacocks symbolizing grace.

Symbolism

The symbols in motion.

Lotus

/padma/

The lotus symbolizes purity and spiritual awakening in Hindu tradition. It rises from muddy waters to bloom — representing the soul's journey from ignorance to wisdom.

Marigold

/genda/

Marigolds, or genda in Sanskrit, symbolize devotion, purity, and prosperity in Hindu tradition. They are used in Pookolam, Kerala's floral rangoli created during the harvest festival.

Conch Shell

/shankha/

The conch, or shankha, is among the most sacred Hindu symbols. Its spiral echoes the sound of creation — blown to dispel negativity and call in auspicious beginnings.

Process

Trials & experiments.

Trials with other sensors

Testing out interactions with different inputs before landing on the hall-effect setup.

Color sensor. Mapping detected colours to on-screen Rangoli elements.
CQ Robot gesture sensor. Reading hand gestures to drive the animation.

Other illustration & animation techniques

Exploring different ways to bring the Rangoli motifs to life.

Splits. Building the Rangoli in Illustrator, split into animation frames.
Phenakistoscope. A spinning-disc animation of the Rangoli motifs.

Mechanism

Hall Effect Sensor Mechanism.

The exhibition setup — a peacock-shaped RFID scanner with flowers, diyas, and the three Rangoli cards on a black table
Six flowers embedded with magnets ring an Arduino Uno; hovering clockwise adds a layer, anticlockwise removes one

Exhibition

Exhibition Layout.

Exhibition layout — a pedestal holds the sensor flowers and peacock RFID scanner, projecting the Rangoli onto the floor

Code

Behind the scenes — the code.

References

Digital

Digital-only experience.

So anyone online can experience the installation, even outside the exhibition.

Open on Replit