The Optik interactive art display will be in downtown Des Moines until May 26, 2025.
The Optik interactive art display will be in downtown Des Moines until May 26, 2025.
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Meet Optik, the art exhibit you can play with at Cowles Commons in downtown Des Moines

Cruising down Third Street, a display of 20 white rotating circles with a rainbow glass window snakes through Cowles Common in Downtown Des Moines.

Those traveling on foot might even hear a tune coming from the 6-foot-tall interactive art display. The installation, known as Optik, has been at Navy Pier in Chicago and in New York City. Now it has made its way to Des Moines for a limited time.

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What is the art display in Downtown Des Moines at Cowles Commons?

Optik was created by The Urban Conga and Serge Maheu and is intended to allow people to play with their surroundings.

The display is a gyroscope-like form where each circle can rotate in a different direction. When the units start to spin, they play music, making each layer its own instrument.

How long is the Optik interactive art display in Des Moines?

The Optik interactive playground will be at Cowles Commons from May 2 until May 26. It is free to visit.

It was brought to Des Moines by Des Moines Performing Arts, which manages Cowles Commons, Operation Downtown and the Greater Des Moines Partnership.

Kate Kealey is a general assignment reporter for the Register. Reach her at kkealey@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter at @Kkealey17.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Meet Optik, the art exhibit you can play with at Cowles Commons in downtown Des Moines

Reporting by Kate Kealey, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

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