How artist Davide Sgambaro brought “Goosebumps (dark times)” to life with Arduino UNO R4 Minima

At Arduino, we love seeing creative people use technology in unexpected ways – especially when it shows how accessible tools can empower anyone to bring their idea to life. That includes artists, designers, performers, and people who don’t see themselves as “technical” at all.

That’s why we’re proud to have supported Davide Sgambaro and his new installation, Goosebumps (dark times), now on view at GAM – Galleria Civica d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea in Turin, as part of the museum’s Intruso program. The work uses 10 Arduino® UNO R4 Minima boards to animate a row of black hoodies that twitch almost imperceptibly – a mechanical “shiver” that sits somewhere between life, hesitation, and tension.

We’re also grateful for the collaboration with GAM Torino and Fondazione Torino Musei, who continue to open space for experimentation at the intersection of art and technology.

“Sgambaro’s work shows how contemporary art can engage directly with tools used in everyday life,” says Chiara Bertola, Director of GAM Torino. “Thanks to Arduino’s support, the installation reveals a fragile, pulsating presence – a gesture that speaks to our time with both subtlety and intensity.”

We had the chance to interview Sgambaro about the work, his process, and what it means for an artist to embrace electronics.

Your artistic practice often explores tension between playfulness and existential unease. For this installation at GAM Torino, you used a row of hoodies that gently move, mimicking a heartbeat. What led you to choose Arduino for this piece?

Goosebumps (dark times) is made of eight black hoodies hung by their hoods, facing away from the viewer. Inside each hoodie there’s a small servo, triggered randomly by an Arduino board, opening just enough to simulate a muscle spasm inside an arm. This spasm becomes a gesture of reaction – or a shiver before death, like the meaning behind the French expression “petite mort.” The term refers both to the moment before death and to the pleasure of orgasm. I was interested in this paradoxical space to represent a generation that feels helpless and disillusioned, timidly trying to react (or die), but immediately blocked and sedated in a static position.

The hoodie is useful as a symbol of youth culture and even riot culture – but here, the protest isn’t violent. It becomes unheard, imperceptible, just like the mechanical movement. Arduino is the most versatile and accessible system to create these kinds of micro-movements.

As an artist rather than an engineer, how did you find working with Arduino UNO R4 Minima? Were there any technical challenges, and how did you overcome them?

Arduino UNO R4 Minima is perfect and very simple to use for this kind of code. It’s also extremely versatile for more complex work.

How do you hope your work might inspire or encourage other non-technical creators to use electronics in their practice?

I think Arduino is a personal challenge rooted in DIY culture. After the initial (and understandable) fear of entering the world of coding, once you learn the basics you can really have fun and get passionate about these systems. There’s a huge world behind Arduino, and I recommend exploring it – I’m reminding myself of that too.

Do you see technology as something that should be visible to the audience, or as a hidden “magic” behind the work’s emotional impact?

I’ve always seen Arduino as a hidden magic – I love the surprise effect. But it’s also a nice piece of design if you’re creating something that deals directly with themes of technology.

What do you hope visitors at GAM will feel or think when they see this installation?

This installation is a challenge I’m launching. The movement of the hoodies is so minimal that it requires a kind of attention that isn’t common today. So, I think there will be two opposite reactions: indifference or amazement. The verdict is yours.

Technology as a creative tool

Sgambaro’s installation is a reminder that technology isn’t just a problem-solving tool – it’s creative material. Whether you’re an artist, a student, a maker, or someone who never imagined touching electronics, accessible platforms like Arduino UNO R4 Minima make it possible to express ideas in new, surprising ways.

We’re thrilled to have supported Goosebumps (dark times) and to continue collaborating with institutions like GAM Torino and Fondazione Torino Musei, where experimentation is celebrated and new languages of making can emerge.

Image credit: Nicola Morittu