As with most of the works, concepts gestate in the media of drawing and model-making until the resources can be gathered to realize the work in three dimensions. Prototypes of the most important mechanisms, the sculpture's environment, and interaction are explored and revised during this time, evolving the work on paper to the point of tackling the engineering challenges inherent in realizing a moving, sculptural piece. Once the work moves into three dimensions, additional challenges arise that become important in the final conceptual and physical form of the work.

Each of the Cave's growing number of pneumatic robots is connected to one of five computer-controlled valve banks comprising more than 50 valves. These valve banks are controlled by the main computer, which sends the information directing the actions that create each character's interactive personality.

The programming for each robot's movement is a series of sequenced actions. These sequences are composed and sent via MIDI protocol (often used in computer music) to activate or "play" each of the valves like musical notes. The combination of these actions make up the interactive character of each inhabitant of the Cave, much as a sequence of individual musical notes make up a piece of music. These sequences of notes can then be played back automatically by the computer when triggered by an audience member, requested from the programmer, or played back manually. In fact, when needed the actions connected to each individual valve can be controlled using a MIDI piano keyboard with each action assigned to a key.

Unlike music, compositions in movement have the constraint of insuring the machines move appropriately with respect to one another and themselves to avoid damage from collision, or attempting impossible sequences of moves. Once all such constraints are accounted for in any sequence, it may be run whenever triggered, resulting in the rich interaction experienced by the audience.

Cave of the Subconscious' first public appearance was in 1997 in San Francisco. Since that time it has developed from containing an original 24 robots, to its present state involving more than 30. As the Cave has developed, so have the technologies employed in its interactions and performance. Initially being capable of real-time performance alone, it has come to include programmed performance sequences and computer vision technologies which allow the Cave its interactive capacity.

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