New interactive owl sculptures turn heads in Downtown Austin

There's some new installations in downtown Austin turning some heads.

The City of Austin Economic Development Department’s Art in Public Places Program recently installed interactive public art sculptures named Kempelen's Owls near the entrance to the Proper Hotel on 2nd Street.

Inspired by the Texas native Great Horned Owl, the ten-feet-tall sculptures were created from 3D scans of a local owl from the University of Texas’ Texas Memorial Museum collection and are constructed of layered metal and composite material. (City of Austin Economic Development Department)

Inspired by the Texas native Great Horned Owl, the ten-feet-tall sculptures were created from 3D scans of a local owl from the University of Texas’ Texas Memorial Museum collection and are constructed of layered metal and composite material. They are perched atop a 12-sided geometric shape, silently observing their surroundings.

Artist team New American Public Art set the owls over benches with an interactive secret—a quick reach and swivel under each bench will awaken the rotating head of the owl. The interactive mechanism was inspired by 18th-century robotics builder Wolfgang Von Kempelen.

Kempelen's Owls is Austin's first fully open-sourced permanent public artwork, with all the artists' concepts, designs, contracts and methods made available to the public under a Creative Commons license.