Andrew Zolty, a pioneer at the intersection of art and technology, co-founded a kinetic art BREAKFAST Studio in 2009. Based in Brooklyn, the studio has quickly become a leader in the creation of dynamic, data-driven sculptures that bridge the gap between the digital and physical worlds. Zolty’s vision is to craft pieces that are not only visually stunning but also deeply meaningful, often using real-time data to tell compelling stories about our world. BREAKFAST’s innovative works, like the widely acclaimed Time Capsule Over Manhattan at Rockefeller Center, invite viewers to become part of the artwork itself, challenging them to engage with the environment in new and interactive ways.
hube: It usually takes something to ignite the spark of inspiration to start exploring the world of art. What initially inspired you to explore the intersection of design and technology, leading to the founding of BREAKFAST as a computer-driven kinetic art studio?
Andrew Zolty: As a young child, I was always engaged in art and loved taking apart electronics to see how they worked. Art and technology have always been my passions. In college and during my early career, I combined these passions by learning design and coding to create online interactive experiences. After ten years of pushing the limits of screen-based experiences, I saw an opportunity to bring our physical and digital worlds together through a more integrated software and hardware approach.
h: How do you approach the creation of kinetic artworks at BREAKFAST, particularly in terms of integrating software, hardware, and design elements?
AZ: The team at BREAKFAST is not just exceedingly talented in their core skills; most everyone is a jack of all trades. We design and engineer everything from scratch, seamlessly blending hardware and software to create truly unique and well-built artworks.
h: Could you tell us more about the development process behind innovative mediums like Brixels and flip-disc technology, and how they contribute to your and BREAKFAST’s artistic vision?
AZ: The goal of our artwork is to create mesmerizing sculptures that tell stories through the use of real-time data. To achieve such creations that can stand the test of time, we spend years developing and perfecting our mediums, which become our own custom clay to craft our works from. As of today, we have five mediums we are regularly using, with many others in various stages of development. When it comes time to conceive a new piece, it’s a combination of considering what is possible with the mediums we have while looking at the goal for the piece, the budget, and where it is going. I can then develop a concept that meets the mark across all aspects.
h: BREAKFAST’s artworks are known for their ability to engage with real-time web data. Could you share insights into how this data is incorporated into your pieces and how it influences the viewer’s experience?
AZ: While the aesthetics and movements are what initially grab people’s attention, it’s the underlying data and stories we tell that truly define our work. We use a wide variety of data, including wind, tides, seismic activity, solar activity, ice sheet melt, human movement, terms used across the media, sounds in the jungle, and many more. The movement of our pieces is dynamic and constantly changing based on how the data is evolving up to the minute. Our artworks become ways to connect you to a topic and observe its changes from minute to minute.
h: With over 250 kinetic sculptures created by BREAKFAST, are there any particular challenges or memorable moments from your artistic journey that stand out to you?
AZ: While we are creating some of the most complex and beautiful sculptures we’ve ever made, the feeling of installing our first Brixels piece, *Pulse*, in 2019 was a significant milestone for me. It was the moment I could truly see what we were capable of and allowed us to believe that creating these types of pieces was genuinely possible.
h: How does BREAKFAST approach the balance between physical and digital realms in your artworks, and what significance does this balance hold within the context of contemporary art?
AZ: Part of the reason we started BREAKFAST was because more and more people were playing in the digital world. Grounding ourselves in the physical is what allowed us to distinguish ourselves, and it remains key to what we do. While we’re capable of creating all things digital, it’s important that the digital aspects always support our physical pieces.
h: As an artist known for integrating technology into art, how do you see AI impacting the future of kinetic art and interactive experiences? Are there any plans for BREAKFAST to explore AI-driven creations in the future?
AZ: Since the early days of our studio, we’ve always kept tabs on and experimented with new and emerging technologies. AI is going to have an impact that none of us can truly understand or predict, and there is no doubt it will profoundly affect every industry and individual, including kinetic art and interactive experiences. We already use AI regularly for efficiencies and have been exploring its potential in our art. I believe AI is enhancing our craft by allowing us to move faster and design better. It helps us sanity-check important elements, whether it’s engineering decisions or the copy on our website, enabling our small team to accomplish things we wouldn’t be able to do otherwise.
h: With VR becoming increasingly popular as a medium for artistic expression and immersive experiences, do you see BREAKFAST exploring this type of technology? Could we eventually see kinetic art in the Metaverse and through Apple Vision Pro?
AZ: BREAKFAST’s niche is tangible works that utilize digital elements in interesting ways. At this time, the idea of creating digital-only works, regardless of the platform, doesn’t entirely interest us.
h: In works like Mauna Loa Air from the climate change series, real-time data is used to create dynamic visual representations. What role does art have in raising awareness about global-scale issues?
AZ: I always have Nina Simone’s quote rolling around in my head: ‘An artist’s duty, as far as I’m concerned, is to reflect the times’. We are living in a time where there can never be enough conversation about the state of our climate, and if we see an opportunity to create a piece that captivates people while connecting them to the topic in real-time, then we jump on it. The vast majority of our pieces utilize real-time data from nature and the environment to tell that story and connect you to another place. It’s a topic that is very important to us.
h: How would you describe the future in three words?
AZ: In our hands.
Phototgraphy courtesy of BREAKFAST STUDIO