viewers activate this beating heart art installation by charging their smartphone

ByMyProperty Life

Your Heart Specimen functions only with charging smartphone

Your Heart Specimen is an interactive installation by artist Joll that explores the relationship between the human body and digital devices in contemporary life. In the work, a sculpted heart is fixed inside a wooden frame and connected to a wireless charging system. When a smartphone is placed onto the heart and begins charging, the installation is activated. Only through the act of charging the device and observing the scene does the work become complete. The viewer is not a passive observer, but an essential participant.

your heart specimen 7
the viewer’s hand completes the work, transforming observation into participation | all images courtesy of Joll

Installation by joll comments on digital dependency

In modern society, essential human activities such as communication, entertainment, work, and emotional exchange are increasingly mediated through a single glass screen. Along with information, emotions such as joy, anxiety, anger, and comfort are generated through smartphones. The artist visualizes this dependency by synchronizing the ‘heartbeat’ of the object with electrical power. The heart is modeled from epoxy putty and painted in red, while the surrounding structure is constructed from wood and a metal wire frame, finished in black lacquer spray. A wireless charger, charging cable, and wall outlet are intentionally exposed, emphasizing electricity as a contemporary form of lifeline alongside blood.

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your heart specimen 1
the heart is presented as a specimen, suspended within a frame

your heart specimen 2
without a smartphone attached, the heart remains inactive

your heart specimen 3
close-up view of the artificial heart, isolated from any power source

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