PHILADELPHIA— Oat Foundry has introduced Chroma Flap, a modular, full-color kinetic wall installation designed for architects and interior designers seeking screen-free experiential elements for commercial and public interiors.
The system expands on the company’s flagship Split Flap display technology, translating the familiar mechanical motion of analog signage into a three-dimensional architectural feature. Unlike traditional monochrome split-flap boards commonly associated with transit hubs, Chroma Flap incorporates a curated color palette and pixel-based compositions to create animated patterns, gradients, imagery, and data visualizations across a moving wall surface.
According to Oat Foundry, the product is engineered for commercial buildings, cultural institutions, branded environments, and other high-traffic interior spaces. Each installation functions as a kinetic feature wall, with individual flipping elements producing both visual movement and subtle acoustic texture. The result is a multisensory installation intended to serve as a placemaking centerpiece.
“Everyone’s adding another screen. We’re doing the opposite,” said Mark Kuhn, CEO and co-founder of Oat Foundry. Kuhn was recently elected to the board of Society for Experiential Graphic Design.
How It Works
Chroma Flap operates through Oat Foundry’s proprietary content management system, Portal. The platform allows users to upload images, logos, photography, and data sets, which are translated into bit-style analog compositions. Visual content can be scheduled and adjusted to align with different periods of activity within a space, such as quieter daytime settings or higher-energy evening environments.
The company says the system is particularly effective in transitional or high-traffic areas such as lobbies, airports, and transit stations, where it can create a distinctive focal point.
Designed for Architectural Integration
Developed with architectural applications in mind, Chroma Flap features modular construction that can be scaled and configured to meet specific spatial requirements. Installations may be recessed, surface-mounted, or framed within custom millwork.
Key features include:
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Custom Pantone-matched color palettes or recommended color selections
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Modular configurations adaptable to various dimensions and layouts
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Translation of images, logos, wallpapers, and data into kinetic compositions
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Integration via Portal API for live data visualization
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Lower power consumption compared to conventional digital video walls
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Installation designed to minimize disruption to existing architecture
The system can also integrate with Oat Foundry’s companion platform, Algorithm, which expands interactive capabilities while maintaining the mechanical structure of the display.
Responding to Design Trends
The launch comes as hospitality, workplace, and civic interiors increasingly emphasize experiential design, flexibility, and tactile materials. Chroma Flap’s mechanical motion and pixel-based aesthetic align with renewed interest in retrofuturism and analog-inspired design approaches, offering an alternative to LED-based video walls.
Creative Director Sarah Van Bemmel said the platform supports a wide range of visual styles, from abstract compositions to geometric patterns, and allows content to evolve over time rather than remain static.
Manufactured in Philadelphia
Chroma Flap is engineered and manufactured at Oat Foundry’s headquarters in Philadelphia. The company specializes in kinetic architectural installations and analog signage systems and has previously delivered custom displays for global brands including Gensler, Google, Samsung, Netflix, Nike, Starbucks, and Nespresso.
Among its recent projects is a 42,000-flap animated wall created for Nespresso’s first North American retail location, described by the company as one of the largest installations of its kind outside an airport environment.
