Senster: Reactivation of a Cybernetic Sculpture

The turbulent history of Senster, a large cybernetic sculpture designed by Edward Ihnatowicz c. 1970, is divided in two periods: its creation and prematurely canceled display (1968–1974) and its recent reactivation (2017–2018). This article presents a comprehensive narrative of Senster's reactivation. It explains how the formulation of the conservation philosophy and methodology employed in the process was instrumental in delivering the solutions. Based on these observations, the authors propose a detailed strategy for the maintenance and reactivation of interactive embodied systems.