The next time you’re near the downtown public library, be sure to check out Kempelen’s Owls, an interactive sculpture inspired by the 18th-century robotics of Wolfgang Von Kempelen. Designed by New American Public Art from 3D scans from UT’s Texas Memorial Museum, the sculpture features two native Texas Great Horned Owls, each standing 10-feet tall and constructed of layered metal and composite materials. You can find the owls perched near the entrance of the new Proper Hotel at 600 2nd Street.
So what makes them interactive? Although the owls appear to be silently observing their surroundings, passersby can rotate their heads with a quick reach and swivel under the benches below.
Kempelen’s Owls is the city’s first fully open-sourced permanent public artwork, which means that all the artists’ concepts, designs, contracts and methods are made available to the public under a Creative Commons license. It’s brought to Austinites as part of the Art in Public Places Program, which is intended to create a sense of place for the public and offer opportunities for people of all ages.