Chain Reaction Machine for Lowlands Festival

Studio de Gruijter, in collaboration with Adriaan de Groot and Tim Meijer, were commissioned to design an interactive installation aimed at making science accessible to a broad festival audience during Lowlands Festival 2023. Inspired by Der Lauf der Dinge (1987) by Fischli and Weiss, the result was a large-scale chain reaction machine that playfully reenacted a typical day at the festival.

Constructed from everyday and festival-related objects, the machine used basic physical principles such as gravity, leverage, and magnetism to trigger a five-minute cascade of interactions. Each element activated the next in an elaborate sequence, building toward answering an important question faced by many festival-goers: Are we going to sleep, or are we going for another drink?

The project involved full concept development, production, and on-site presentation. During the three-day festival, a live crew of 12 was coordinated to operate the machine and engage the audience in each performance.

Photography by Adriaan de Groot.