WiFi Impressionist: Richard Vijgen's Robotic Installation Paints En Plein Air with Wireless Signals

Dutch artist and designer Richard Vijgen (born 1982) has created a robotic installation titled "WiFi Impressionist" that paints using nearby Wi-Fi signals. Inspired by 19th-century Impressionist and Macchiaioli en plein air painting, as well as the cityscapes of J.M.W. Turner, the work consists of a directional antenna mounted on a rotating mechanism and a portable plotter on an easel. The antenna scans 360 degrees, capturing Wi-Fi signal presence and converting them into drawings traced by a robotic arm. The density and intensity of the marks vary based on signal strength and duration, with the paper darkening over time. This is not Vijgen's first exploration of electromagnetic waves: he previously created "Hertzian Landscapes" (2019), an interactive multi-screen installation commissioned by the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision, and "Architecture of Radio" (2016), a tablet app that received an honorable mention at the Prix Ars Electronica in Linz. Another project, "WiFi Tapestry," transformed Wi-Fi signals into movements that altered a tapestry's weave, creating a "Shroud of Turin for the digital age." Vijgen, founder of a studio specializing in complex data visualization systems, continues his practice of making invisible digital phenomena visible through physical art. The installation is documented in photographs and a video on its dedicated website.