Chromatic Cave

Chromatic Cave is an immersive colour-mixing ritual set inside a lush, tented jungle cave. Visitors awaken a stone-faced temple wall with elemental levers, creating a unique colour through light and sound, then receive a printed sticker: their own abstract, AI-augmented visual offering”

Made in collaboration with Carine Lohyer.

Concept and Artistic Approach

Buried deep in a mythic jungle, Chromatic Cave is a temple fragment from another world. At its heart is a face carved in stone, half-machine, half-spirit, capable of responding to human input in vivid and magical ways.

As participants step inside the “cave” (a vine-laced, darkened tunnel tent), they find themselves facing the temple face. A journal offers cryptic clues. Four elemental levers allow the user to pour colour into the creature’s open mouth: earth (green), water (blue), air (yellow), and fire (red). Once activated, the template wakes, releasing mist and resonant, organic-machine sounds.

The participant mixes their chosen colour using the glowing levers. When satisfied, they press a central button — and the installation responds. A voice (generated in real-time via AI) names the new colour and describes its essence. Simultaneously, a unique abstract watercolour image is generated and printed onto a sticker, which emerges from the forehead of the temple, as a symbolic gift from the awakened spirit.

Chromatic Cave blends fantasy, play, and technology to explore self-expression through colour. Rooted in the expanded universe of Check Engine, it rewards curiosity and presence, and offers a moment of sensory wonder.

    • 7’ x 12’ decorated jungle-style tent with cave-like interior

    • Stone temple face with glowing mouth and forehead

    • Interactive LED “drips” of colour activated by each lever

    • Mist/fog pours from the mouth once activated

    • Button-triggered final sequence with custom AI-generated:

      • Colour name & poetic description (read via voice synthesis)

      • Abstract watercolour-style image with custom colour palette

      • Hex code and one of 14 fictional zodiac symbols

    • High-quality printed sticker dispensed from the face’s forehead

    • Explorer’s journal offers clues, story fragments, and clues to easter eggs

    • Input Interface: Industrial bidirectional joystick levers

    • Lighting: Individually addressable LED strips simulate “dripping” colours

    • Fog Effects: ultrasonic mist maker with custom casing and fan tunnel that pushes mist out, without any of the signature ultrasonic mist splatter

    • Audio: Custom sound design layered with voice synthesis via AI text-to-speech

    • Visuals: AI-generated sticker using participant-mixed colour palette and theme

    • Printing: Thermal or inkjet sticker printer concealed in the structure

    • Logic Engine: Raspberry Pi with integrated control system

    • Construction: Fabric, foam, repurposed jungle materials, and stone-like panels

  • Chromatic Cave was reskinned in a different theme for a private event.

    It has been presented at Sideburn, Ontario’s regional Burning Man event.

  • This piece was created in collaboration with Carine Lohyer, visual artist, who oversaw the whole visual aspect of the piece: visual design, cutting and painting of all the “stones” that make up the face, and the explorer’s journal.