With an expanded presence in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood, Google wanted to create an interactive installation for its new 9th Avenue lobby that would serve as a friendly fixture in the community—something to start conversations and bring people joy, whether they’re seeing it for the first time or they walk past daily.

Flowers is a graceful and dynamic installation made up of 160 electromechanical flowers that suspend from the ceiling of Google’s 9th Avenue lobby in NYC. Visible from the street, this kinetic exhibit uses real-time sensing and machine learning to respond to visitors and passersby. During the day, the flowers bloom open in two stages, reacting to the movement of people in the lobby below. In the evening, the choreography is cued by outside pedestrians.

Designed in a modular fashion and fabricated with powder-coated metal and specially-printed Tyvek, Flowers features pops of color and layered interactivity. Depending on the nature of the movement they detect, the flowers open slightly or fully, revealing subtle color shifts or vibrant interiors.

Outside, a small screen provides hints to evening passersby to perform a specific gesture, triggering a surprise blooming sequence. (Sensor data is for real-time interaction only; data is never stored or viewed.)