VOUW Brings Interactive Art Trio to City Place Houston on November 21

Encompassing three imaginative works — Chairwave, Poem Booth and Roast Booth — VOUW at City Place uses technology in playful, human ways to spark creativity, conversation and connection. Collectively, the pieces turn the central, waterfront Plaza anchoring City Place’s mixed-use core into a vibrant, social landscape where art and interaction meet.

An international favorite showcased at Vivid Sydney, Amsterdam Light Festival and Bright Brussels, Chairwave transforms ordinary seating into an interactive experience that encourages spontaneous social encounters. At City Place, where the installation is making its US debut, the installation will feature 15 chairs spanning approximately 40 feet in length, creating a sculptural wave of light and motion that invites engagement. When one person sits, the seat next to them gently folds down, extending an open invitation for another to join. The movement and light create a visual wave of connection that draws people together — a subtle reminder of the joy in everyday interactions.

Poem Booth merges technology and creativity using artificial intelligence to generate personalized poetry inspired by a visitor’s portrait. Participants take a photo in front of the booth and receive a poem crafted from that captured moment — a keepsake blending art, emotion, and innovation. Each poem can be saved digitally by scanning a QR code. Exhibited previously at Dutch Design Week (Eindhoven, The Netherlands), Lowlands Festival (Biddinghuizen, The Netherlands), and Sharjah Book Fair (Sharjah, United Arab Emirates), the installation offers a quiet, reflective counterbalance to fast-paced digital culture.

Turning self-expression on its head, Roast Booth adds humor to the experience. Using the same AI technology, it delivers witty, lighthearted “roasts” based on the visitor’s appearance — a playful way to share a laugh with friends and strangers alike. The experience taps into the rising popularity of AI-generated roasts on social media, where users have embraced the trend as a fun, self-aware form of digital connection. Both Poem Booth and Roast Booth invite visitors to slow down, participate and connect through shared moments of humor and introspection. While Roast Booth has been shown in smaller settings, its installation at City Place marks the first time the work will be exhibited outdoors on a larger scale.

Each element of VOUW at City Place embodies the studio’s philosophy of “Slowtech” — using innovation to bring people together, rather than pull them apart. “Technology is often blamed for disconnecting people,” said VOUW co-founder Mingus Vogel. “Through Slowtech, we’re interested in how design and interactivity can do the opposite: encouraging people to pause, smile and share a moment with someone new.”

The installation will be open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., located at 1250 Lake Plaza Drive, Spring, TX 77389. Free and open to the public, VOUW at City Place marks the latest in a series of site-specific public art experiences curated by Houston’s Weingarten Art Group for the mixed-use community.