Lepidoptera Imaginaria
Maker Faire Bay Area 2026
September 25th-27th
Lepidoptera Imaginaria is an interactive light sculpture modeled after the migratory monarch butterfly, an endangered species. It runs ever-changing patterns on 570 full-color LEDs. Participants speak into a vintage microphone and a large-language model creates and runs new code that represents the voice input.
The piece is a visualization of the constant stream of code slop that can be produced by artificial intelligence. Participants are empowered to create software instantly, regardless of their programming skill. Yet without seeing the code itself, they are unable to understand or modify it.
Grant Patterson
Grant Patterson creates digitally-generated interactive art that examines our relationship with technology. He holds a BS in Computer Science from Stanford University and has two decades of hardware/software industry experience in circuit design, embedded systems programming, Linux sysadmin, web user interfaces, and mobile apps with internet-of-things connectivity. While humankind’s technological revolutions produce objects of incredible power and value, they often have harmful consequences for people and our planet. Grant uses these tools to produce art that challenges our assumptions, encouraging us to think critically about entrenched systems. His work demonstrates scientific principles in new and surprising ways. He uses digital techniques to create biological forms. His interactive installations blur the line between artist and viewer. These techniques disrupt the binary distinctions that dominate our world: visible/invisible; good/bad; simple/complex; performer/spectator; digital/analog; producer/consumer. Grant incorporates a variety of technical elements into his work including laser cutting, LEDs, microprocessors, sensors, multi-touch user interfaces, DMX stage lighting, open-source software, solar power, artificial intelligence, and modular systems. Projects range from web experiences to LED wearables to warehouse-scale installations. His work has appeared at Maker Faire, CODAME ART+TECH, Oakland's Autumn Lights Festival, Burning Man and its satellite regional events, corporate functions, permanent installations, and private collections.
