LittleBits Brings Big Installations to the Museum of Modern Art

Open-source electronics company littleBits brought their tiny gadgets to the art world on Tuesday, unveiling large window installations at New York's Museum of Modern Art Design Stores.

The company, which creates systems of LEGO-like electronics that snap together with magnets, featured two window displays entitled, "littleBits Make Big Things Happen" at two museum locations. The four-foot-tall kinetic sculptures turn and glide using sensors, switches and lights, all measuring less than one inch.

At the midtown location, one display showcases a giant, glowing ferris wheel propelled by a miniature cyclist, while another has art handlers balancing a wobbly frame between their hands. The downtown MoMA Design Store features a rider dangling a lure towards a large, swimming shark, and a tiny mad scientist controlling a nearly life-sized puppet.

This is the first time littleBits attempted to create structures on such a large scale, explains Jordi Borras, the company's design lead. Partnering with Brooklyn-based design studio Labour, littleBits made sure the installations required no programming, wiring or soldering â€" only the bite-sized circuits to power the sculptures.

"The scale is a big point in this project; it's a big push for the product and huge experiment for us," Borras told Mashable. "Usually littleBits are perceived as something you use in early stages of prototyping, but this is something that's going to be powered for months. It's not something you just play and put together."

The installations will be on display until May 12, and Borras said it's an important step for the company to showcase its abilities for artists. Because the electronics don't require any prior knowledge of engineering or programming, artists don't need to focus their creativity on learning a new trade, and can instead find new ways to express their craft.

"It’s really less about thinking 'how?' and more about making things happen," Borras says.

"It’s really less about thinking 'how?' and more about making things happen," Borras says."

Each installation uses simple materials: cardboard, paper, foam and wood. Most displays are hand-painted. The projects aim to present electronics as another accessible material for kids, artists and designers â€" not just engineers.

Check out the gallery, above, to see littleBits' installations in New York.

Image courtesy of littleBits