ICFWYWM is an interactive drawing machine installation that explores themes of observation, interference, and the unavoidable influence of the audience.

In its current iteration, the piece utilizes a modified HP 7470a pen plotter from the 1980s. A continuous sheet of paper is fed through the machine, where it performs a meticulous, repetitive task of drawing rows of squares—as long as it remains unobserved. This quiet repetition is interrupted the moment the machine senses it is being watched.

Originally responding to website traffic for virtual showings, the project was recently updated with physical face detection for its inclusion in Soft Internet Theory, an exhibition at the Art Gallery of Guelph curated by Tristan Saurer. When an in-person viewer is detected by its camera, the machine panics, scribbling over its careful work until it is left alone again. The more someone interferes, observes, and participates, the more the machine diverges from its original task. Meaningful, obvious influence by the audience is incredibly important for interactive works. As this project has evolved, it remains a joy to observe people discover the piece, play with it, and learn how it responds to their simple act of observation.