Interactive Mural

For their new Bay Area office, Alibaba partnered with Wall and Wall to create a large-scale interactive mural—an installation designed to simulate aspects of a retail store while remaining tactile, playful, and approachable. The goal was to bring Alibaba’s brand storytelling into a physical space using art and interaction, without relying on overwhelming screens or overly digital interfaces.

The result is a hand-painted mural infused with touch-sensitive technology. When visitors interact with painted elements—like a light dimmer, diamond ring, or phone—custom light and sound effects are triggered, transforming static illustrations into dynamic, sensory-driven touchpoints.

To power these interactions, we used Bare Conductive’s capacitive sensing platform, enhancing it with a custom PCB shield and firmware layered on top of the Touch Board. This expanded the system’s functionality to include dimming controls, LED animations, and synchronized sound triggers.

As the Creative Technologist, I designed the custom PCB in Eagle CAD, fabricated it using my Othermill CNC, and developed the firmware in Arduino. I also led the system architecture, prototyping, and on-site integration—ensuring seamless coordination between hardware, software, and the mural’s visual design.

This installation offers a scalable, analog-forward experience that blends illustration and interaction in ways that feel personal and warm. Whether placed in retail, workplace, or event settings, it serves as a joyful invitation into Alibaba’s vision for immersive, human-centered commerce.

Client: Alibaba Group
Location: Sunnyvale, CA
Year: 2020
Credits:

• Project Design & Execution: Wall and Wall

• Creative Technologist: Osman Koç