At the recent HelloArt Lunar New Year Market at Out of the Blue Drill Hall, I presented a selection of prints, merch, and my coffee/art collaboration. Additionally, I had an immersive experience created especially for the Year of the Fire Horse.
It was a great day all round. I sold out of my Fire Horse cards. My collaboration with a local coffee shop – featuring bespoke art and a hand-picked blend – was a hit. Plenty of conversations, seeing familiar faces, meeting new ones. Markets are always interesting to me, I’ve had stalls at many over the years.
Alongside the stall, I was testing a short mixed reality experience built specifically for the Lunar New Year. A lantern interaction themed around the Year of the Fire Horse. Portable, self-contained, just a few minutes per session.
What I did not fully anticipate was how much attention the immersive experience would draw. At points there was a small queue of people waiting for a turn. Several asked whether it cost anything to take part.
It didn’t.
But that question lingered with me afterwards.
The experience was built as an extension of my generative and bubble-based work. Something immersive. Something playful. Something that could sit alongside physical pieces rather than replace them.
Seeing people queue for it, and assume it might have a price, suggested something about perceived value. It felt substantial. It felt like more than a quick novelty.
Some people stayed in the experience for quite a while. Which, artistically, is a good sign. But in a busy market setting, open-ended interaction also raises design questions. How long should a session last? Should there be a defined objective? A clearer beginning and end?
As with most things I build, I have been thinking about how it could evolve.
Not into a carnival game. Not into something purely transactional. But into a more defined micro immersive artwork. A short, structured augmented reality experience with a clear goal and a physical artwork included.
Something portable. Repeatable. Adaptable to different themes and spaces.
The interesting part is not simply whether it could be charged for. It is that the format works. People engage. They wait. They talk about it. It shifts the energy of a stall from static display to active experience.
For someone working across generative systems, immersive environments, and physical outputs, that intersection feels worth exploring further.
Sometimes the most useful feedback is not a written critique or a comment afterwards.
It is a small queue forming in front of your work.
Posted: March 1, 2026 by David Oxley
Written by
David Oxley
You may also be interested in:
Bridging Worlds: After the Exhibition
My first solo show, Bridging Worlds, just wrapped up at Whitespace Gallery in Edinburgh (3 – 8 January 2026). It was a real thrill to bring together pieces from different
Data-Driven Theatre & Art with Raspberry Pi
My first “Data-Driven Theatre & Art with Raspberry Pi” workshop took place on Dec 5th 2025 at CodeBase Edinburgh, co-hosted with Clare Duffy from Civic Digits C.I.C. The session brought
BRIDGING WORLDS
From Saturday 3rd - Thursday 8th January 2026, Bridging Worlds brings together a constellation of generative, data-driven, and immersive artworks that sit at the intersection of the physical, digital, and imagined.
EXPOS3D: The Art of the System
Building Trevor Jones’ Digital Revolution The core of EXPOS3D was always clear: surveillance, data capture, and participation under observation. The exhibition invited visitors into a space where technology not only
Chaos, Code, and Creativity: My Journey
My fascination with patterns and chaos theory began in the early 1990s with a Commodore Amiga, AMOS Basic, and magazine cover disks that included tools like fractal generators. Inspired by
Exhibition: Perfectly Packed Pearls
I’m excited to share that my exhibition, Perfectly Packed Pearls, is showing in Edinburgh from 11th July to 15th August 2025 at Society Cycles, Morningside. If you’re in Edinburgh, you
NFC Lisbon 2025
Just back from Non Fungible Conference Lisbon. I didn’t go to speak or show work – just to see what’s happening at the intersection of immersive digital art, AI, NFTs,
🌈 Harmonious Diversity - Selected for “Living Colors” at Brooklyn Art Cave
I’m proud to announce that my generative artwork Harmonious Diversity has been selected for Living Colors, Brooklyn Art Cave’s 4th Annual Group Exhibition curated by Alex Z. Running from April
Equilibrium of the Four - Selected for Brooklyn Art Cave Exhibition
I’m excited to share that my artwork Equilibrium of the Four has been selected for inclusion in The Four Elements, a digital art exhibition curated by Brooklyn Art Cave and