What Random International does

Random International is a London-based postdigital art collective founded in 2005 by Hannes Koch and Florian Ortkrass, operating as the trading name of UK-registered Operation:Schoener Ltd (registration no. 5428163). The studio designs and fabricates large-scale interactive installations, kinetic sculptures, and generative digital works that explore the relationship between humans and technology — most iconically through 'Rain Room' (2012), where visitors walk through falling water without getting wet via 3D motion tracking, and the ongoing 'Swarm Study' series built on Craig Reynolds BOID-style flocking simulations.

Technically, the studio operates a custom stack combining proprietary swarm algorithms, real-time motion-tracking software, generative flocking code, and bespoke hardware/software integration for kinetic works. It has expanded the practice into generative AI (the 2024 'Imagine' series using deep learning image-to-text models), NFTs (2022's 'Life in Our Minds' with Pace Verso and Snark.art), and durational performance ('Human Algorithm / I,' 2024). Products are delivered as one-off commissioned installations for museums and permanent public works rather than as a repeatable software platform.

Commercially, the studio is founder-owned, privately held, and generates revenue from commissioned installations, gallery sales (primarily through Pace Gallery), NFT drops, and maintenance/licensing for permanent installations at venues including Sharjah Art Foundation and Great Ormond Street Hospital. Customers are tier-1 cultural institutions (MoMA, Barbican, V&A, LACMA, Yuz Museum, Sharjah Art Foundation), a small set of corporate/developer partners (BMW i, St James/Berkley Group, Brookfield Arts, The Glen Grant), and experiential-art venue operators (Superblue, Nxt Museum). Pricing is project-specific and not publicly disclosed; no external funding has been raised.

Name

Random International

Legal name

Operation:Schoener Ltd

Website

https://random-international.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Random International is a London-based postdigital art collective (founded 2005) that designs and fabricates large-scale interactive installations, kinetic sculptures, and generative digital works for museums, cultural institutions, and corporate partners worldwide, led by founders Hannes Koch and Florian Ortkrass.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contemporary Art Installations

NAICS

Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (711510)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Experiential Digital & Hybrid Events (Virtual Platforms, Livestream) (BPAFAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Experiential OOH & Ambient Media (Guerilla, Pop-Ups) (MPAAAKAH)

Keywords

• Contemporary art installations
• Interactive art technology
• Kinetic sculpture studio
• Art commissions
• Postdigital art practice

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Commissioned Installations: Random International creates bespoke large-scale interactive installations commissioned by museums, galleries, corporations, and public institutions. Revenue comes from design, fabrication, and installation fees for works like Rain Room, Kinds of Life, and public art commissions.
2. Gallery Exhibitions and Sales: Works exhibited and sold through galleries such as Pace Gallery, Carpenters Workshop Gallery, and at art fairs. Includes sculptures, prints, and smaller works for collectors.
3. NFT Projects: Digital NFT collections and interactive generative virtual sculptures such as 'Life in Our Minds' produced in partnership with Pace Verso and Snark.art.
4. Licensing and Permanent Installations: Permanent installation commissions with ongoing revenue potential from maintenance, licensing agreements with institutions like Sharjah Art Foundation and Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Random International is a postdigital art studio that designs, engineers, and produces large-scale interactive installations and kinetic artworks. The collective creates bespoke pieces — including the Rain Room, Swarm Study, and Living Room — for museums, cultural institutions, brands, and public spaces, blending custom hardware, motion-tracking, and computational simulation to make audience-responsive works.

Product overview

Random International is a postdigital art collective (established 2005) creating large-scale interactive installations that explore human-technology relationships. The portfolio comprises primarily of original art installations rather than a software product platform. Core works include Rain Room (iconic falling-water environment), the Swarm Study series (algorithmic collective behavior sculptures using BOID simulations), Living Room (light and fog immersive installation), Life in Our Minds (NFT project with generative Motherflock sculpture), Self and Other/Fifteen Points/Our Future Selves (point-of-light reflection works), Body/Light and Imagine (deep learning-powered pieces), and various kinetic, mirror, and motion-tracking installations spanning 2005-2025. The studio creates both temporary exhibitions and permanent installations for museums and public spaces worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Rain Room
• Swarm Study / Swarm Studies
• Living Room
• Life in Our Minds
• Future Self
• BMW i Visualisation

Quantifiable outcome

• Rain Room exhibited at major institutions including Barbican, MoMA, LACMA, Yuz Museum with significant media coverage
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability13 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• The Glen GrantmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2025Partnership for Pixelography: Seasons installation at The Upper House, Hong Kong during Art Week 2025. Created site-specific artwork responding to Glen Grant's Splendours Collection.
• The Upper House, Hong KongmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 March 2025Venue partnership for Pixelography: Seasons during Hong Kong Art Week 2025, in association with Manifest, Laura Uccello, Art Partners, and Whatever Together.
• Pace VersomajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2022NFT project partnership for Life in Our Minds, including generative virtual sculpture 'The Mother Flock.' Pace Verso serves as the primary minting platform for the NFT collection.
• Snark.artmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2022NFT production partnership for Life in Our Minds project, bringing blockchain expertise and the OG.Art platform for NFT sales and distribution.
• Aorist and Faena ArtmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022Commissioning partners for Living Room variation I premiere during Miami Basel 2022. Aorist and Faena Art served as commissioners and partners for the inaugural installation.
• Studio Wayne McGregorcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Ongoing creative collaboration on multiple projects including Future Self (scenography for FAR production, 2010), No One is an Island (2020 partnership with Superblue and BMW i), and +/- Human (2017 immersive experience at Roundhouse). The partnership explores the intersection of choreography, technology, and art.
• SuperbluecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Strategic partnership for immersive experience installations including No One is an Island (with BMW i), Body / Light I (Brookfield Arts collaboration), and Alone Together. Superblue serves as a commissioning partner and venue for experiential art.
• BMW imajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Corporate partnership for No One is an Island installation, exploring themes of electrification and mobility through art. BMW i's design culture influenced Body / Light series development.
• Pace GallerycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary gallery representation for exhibitions and sales, with ongoing exhibition history including On The Body (2016). Pace provides global gallery infrastructure for reaching collectors and institutions.
• Brookfield ArtsmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerPresenting partner for Body / Light I as Manhattan West's inaugural public art experience in 2021.
• FuturecitymajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCuratorial partner for Self and Other (for the Albert Embankment) public commission by St James/Berkley Group.
• Grüntuch-Ernst ArchitectsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitectural collaboration for Swarm Study / IX permanent installation at Chemnitz Hauptbahnhof (2016).

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Emerging players

• Superblue: Experiential art company commissioning immersive installations from leading artists and operating dedicated venues. Relevant as both a partner and adjacent business model — Superblue commissions works like Random International's and curates competing experiences from peers.
• Punchdrunk: UK-based immersive theater and experience company creating large-scale interactive installations blending performance, design, and technology. Comparable as a creator of immersive experiences working with museums and corporate clients.
• nonobject: Niche digital art and interactive installation studio creating kinetic and light-based works for galleries and brands. Comparable scale and aesthetic as a small technology-driven art collective working across physical and digital mediums.

Direct peers

• teamLab: Japan-based interdisciplinary art collective creating large-scale immersive digital installations using projection mapping, sensors, and real-time rendering. Directly comparable as a technology-driven art collective whose work is exhibited globally at museums and corporate venues.
• Studio DRIFT: Dutch studio founded by Lonneke Gordijn and Ralph Nauta, creating kinetic sculptures and large-scale installations exploring the relationship between nature, technology, and humanity. Closely aligned practice, scale, and museum-circuit business model.
• Refik Anadol Studio: Los Angeles-based media artist studio creating immersive AI-driven data sculptures and installations. Directly comparable as a fine-art studio using generative AI, motion tracking, and large-format immersive works sold through major galleries.
• Universal Everything: UK-based digital art and design studio creating screen-based and immersive works for museums, brands, and public spaces. Comparable as a small, technology-led creative studio with gallery representation and global institutional reach.

Broad incumbents

• Meow Wolf: US-based immersive art company operating permanent large-scale exhibition venues. Comparable as a creator of immersive interactive installations, though more commercialized and venue-operator than Random International's museum-commissioned model.
• Moment Factory: Montreal-based multimedia studio specializing in immersive environments combining light, sound, and interactive technology for museums, airports, and public spaces. Closely comparable technology and delivery model at a larger operational scale.
• Artechouse: US-based operator of dedicated immersive digital art exhibition venues in Washington DC, NYC, Miami, and beyond. Comparable in technology and immersive aesthetic, though a venue operator rather than an art-creating studio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/random-international

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Random International