The rise of digital platforms has transformed how artists create, share, and engage with their work. Social media have provided millions of users with the opportunity to communicate effortlessly and discover content of their liking and have provided unprecedented exposure for artists too. However, existing art platforms often fail to adequately support artistic communities. This is visible over the last years through numerous discussions in popular art forums and blogs. Key user pain points include impersonality and lack of belonging, lack of meaningful engagement mechanisms, content oversaturation, resulting sometimes in unmoderated offensive content, passive “scrolling”, and inadequate support for newcomers, who find it hard to gain visibility during their first steps. Understandably, this has resulted in a persistent and repetitive pattern that validates the demand for change.

To address these challenges, we present Splash: a constraint-based, gamified social platform built to foster deeper, more intentional artistic engagement. Inspired by constraint-driven applications like BeReal (time-based) and Pokémon GO (location-based), Splash uses geoconstrained sharing to reshape how and where art is contributed and experienced. In Splash, content is organized through virtual “galleries” spread around the world. Users are required to engage with the gallery closer to them, at any given time, to “unlock” sharing capabilities. This approach ensures that visibility is not dictated by platform algorithms but by real-world artistic engagement. Users can thus explore areas, cities, and countries, discover art, and connect with the artists that contribute to each local art hub.

The installation will showcase the functional prototype, selected user artworks, and a walk-through of key features, inviting attendees to rethink how constraint and play can be harnessed to cultivate more engaging artistic communities.