Friday, July 15, 2005

Rabbit Field - and others


Rabbit Field is an installation where rabbit-like, inflated forms react empathically when one of them is being deflated (i.e. squeezed or poked by the spectators), causing a "ripple wave" within the bunny society. The bunnies also reproduce quickly, increasing in numbers over night, often until they fill the entire room. Since the rabbits' sensors and inflating fans are connected via a central computer, they can be set up to react to their nearest neighbor or to a cousin across the ocean (via the marvelous-and-ever-surprizing web). This sounds really cute (I don't know why the guy on the picture is lying down pretending to be dead).
My big question is: what next? What could we invent using the mechanisms that were elaborated for the use of this project that could go beyond the cute bunnies? Is there anything, or do we have to quickly focus on another gadget? My challenge to you, dear readers, is to think up, and choose to share with me or not, any other ways of using such a "empathic system". How would you see it in your work?

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