Waking Agents

In the age of smart everything, we are sold devices for every aspect of our lives, promising to deliver us to utilitarian utopia. Even the personal space of sleep is invaded by technology-augmented pillows. The installation consists of a set of six smart pillows and immersive environment for engaging with them. Visitors are invited to lay down and nap with a smart pillow, attended to by its embedded intelligence. The intelligence serves as guide, companion, and caretaker while the user drifts between awareness and unconsciousness.

Unbeknownst to the visitor, each pillow is driven by a performer serving as human attendant. Each performer listens to an audio feed from one pillow, controlling the pillow via a web interface. They can type text, play music and sound, and control lighting. The performers are guided by a branching script that leaves room for improvisation, allowing them to perform their own interpretation of an AI personality. The effect is an experience in which the viewer wonders whether it an impressive AI or a human smart pillow, and where the line between human and machine, between personal and functional, really lies.

http://lauren-mccarthy.com