Digital Pulse

Oxford's Living Canvas — a public digital arts platform at 118 Cowley Road.

Digital Pulse turns the Workshop Café and Cowley Road Studios into a public-facing digital surface — displaying sound-reactive visuals, community-created artwork, student projects, generative design, and live creative experiments.

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A New Kind of Public Arts Platform

Digital Pulse is a merging of arts, community and technology. It combines an indoor display, shopfront LED mesh, sensors and generative systems to create a living, reactive visual environment on Cowley Road.

The system showcases:

  • Artist commissions
  • Student projects
  • Community-submitted work
  • Sound-reactive experiences
  • Motion-based interactive visuals
  • Cultural storytelling from the area
Digital Pulse LED display — sound-reactive waveforms
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How It Works

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Sensors

Audio, motion and environmental sensors feed live data into the Digital Pulse engine.

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Generative Engine

Custom software (p5.js / shaders / AI-assisted pipelines) transforms the data into visuals.

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Displays

The content appears across the café-facing screen, indoor displays and future façade upgrades.

Digital Pulse community artwork — Billet Building projection
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A Platform for Artists, Students & Community Voices

Digital Pulse invites contributions from Oxford's creative community — from generative artists and coders to illustrators, music producers, writers, youth groups and grassroots organisations.

We offer:

  • Artist commissions
  • Student collaborations
  • Community workshops
  • Open submission rounds
  • Creative partnerships with local groups

Creative Modes

Community Mode

Local art, neighbourhood stories, cultural archives and student work.

Recurve Mode

Generative geometry, breath-reactive visuals, movement-based projections.

Brewforce Mode

Café mythos, whimsical characters, surreal animations, hero drinks.

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Workshops & Learning

We run beginner-friendly workshops teaching digital art, creative coding, sound-reactive visuals and sensor design. The project is open to emerging talent, local schools and community groups.

  • Generative art basics
  • Motion & sound-reactive systems
  • AI-assisted illustration
  • Projection mapping
  • Coding with p5.js & TouchDesigner
Digital Pulse workshop — generative jellyfish art
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Why Digital Pulse Matters

Digital Pulse transforms 118 Cowley Road into a shared cultural landmark — a place where public art is accessible, interactive and alive. It supports local talent, enriches Cowley Road's nightlife and identity, and turns the building into a beacon of creativity.

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Gallery

Bring Your Creativity to Digital Pulse