Public Place comes from a curiosity for all those digital objects, sensors and boxes that surround us, whose meaning we don't understand or even pay attention to. I try to mix these technical elements with something more sensitive, to create a surprising shift that makes us aware of the physical materiality of the cloud.

I replaced the inside of an router box with an Arduino connected to an online website on which you can draw on a small screen. Each new drawing is added to a database, and the box displays it and beeps a short random melody.

I placed this device at ENSCI for about a week, and scattered QR codes around the school. From time to time, the device would beep. Sometimes people would look at the drawing, without knowing what was making it change. Those who discovered the trick used it to surprise other students nearby, or to leave anonymous messages or phone numbers.